MM120 Shows Rapid and Lasting Anxiety Reduction in Phase 3 Generalized Anxiety Disorder Trials

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Early phase 3 results show that a single dose of MM120 can rapidly reduce anxiety symptoms in GAD patients, with effects lasting up to 12 weeks.

MindMed’s Chief Medical Officer, Daniel Karlin, MD, MA, has announced the launch of Panorama (MM120-301), the second phase 3 clinical trial evaluating MM120 (lysergide D-tartrate) for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This study follows Voyage (MM120-300), which was the first-ever phase 3 study of LSD in any medical condition.

Voyage is a 2-arm, placebo-controlled trial conducted entirely in the US, testing 100 micrograms of MM120 against a placebo over 12 weeks. Panorama expands on this by including an additional 50-microgram dose arm and broadening recruitment to both the US and the EU. The lower dose arm is designed to further clarify the true drug effect by reducing the risk of functional unblinding—where participants deduce their treatment group based on perceptual effects.

MM120 presents 3 major advantages over existing GAD treatments, which primarily include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and benzodiazepines. First, MM120 acts rapidly, with anxiety reductions observed within a day, compared to the weeks required for SSRIs. Second, a single dose has shown to produce long-lasting effects up to 12 weeks, with phase 3 trials extending follow-up to a full year. Third, the magnitude of improvement is significantly greater than that seen with traditional treatments, showing an effect size of 0.7 to 0.8 compared to 0.3 for SSRIs.

Phase 2 trials confirmed that 100 micrograms is the optimal dose, demonstrating strong efficacy, durability, and an acceptable safety profile. While MM120 does produce acute perceptual and emotional changes on the day of treatment, it does not carry the prolonged side effect burden associated with daily medications.

MindMed is currently recruiting participants for both Voyage and Panorama. With these groundbreaking trials, MM120 is positioning itself as a potential game-changer in GAD treatment.Bottom of Form

Dr Karlin is the chief medical officer of MindMed and a fellow of the APA.