{"id":63314,"date":"2026-05-11T08:09:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T08:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/63314\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T08:09:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T08:09:20","slug":"good-news-for-switzerland-us-is-fast-tracking-psychedelics-for-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/63314\/","title":{"rendered":"Good news for Switzerland:\u00a0US is fast-tracking psychedelics for mental health\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Trump<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump signs an executive order that expands federal research into psychedelic drugs to treat patients, and veterans in particular, suffering from PTSD and traumatic brain injuries, in the Oval Office at the White House on April 18, 2026. <\/p>\n

Keystone <\/p>\n

Switzerland is the only country in Europe offering psychedelic treatments, but access remains extremely limited for patients. US support for novel treatments means things could change, writes healthcare reporter Aylin El\u00e7i.\n<\/p>\n

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May 11, 2026 – 09:00\n<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n From innovative treatments to unequal access to medicine, I cover health topics and keep an eye on Switzerland’s Health Valley.
\nI’m Swiss-Turkish, and have a background in communications, journalism and photography. Before joining SWI swissinfo.ch, I covered technology and health at Euronews, and my work has been featured in international outlets including Fayn Press, Mediapart, Le Temps and Times of Malta. <\/p>\n


\n More from this author <\/a><\/p>\n


\n English Department <\/a><\/p>\n

On April 18, the United States unexpectedly announced it would accelerate research and improve access to psychedelic treatments in psychiatry. The announcement came just a day before the anniversary of Swiss scientist Albert Hofmann\u2019s experience with the hallucinogenic drug lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in 1943 \u2013 the first intentional acid trip in history<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Instead of six months or more, psychedelic drugs that qualify will now be assessed in one to two months in the same Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pilot programme previously used to speed up reviews for gene therapies and cancer treatments.Switzerland is the only country in Europe offering psychedelic treatments, but access remains extremely limited for patients. US support for novel treatments means things could change.<\/p>\n

Through an executive orderExternal link<\/a>, the administration has requested patient access to drugs that are still being investigated, such as the psychoactive compound ibogaine. It has also attributed $50 million (CHF39 million) to its research programme focused on breakthrough technologies, and it has highlighted the importance of these treatments for veterans, among whom suicide rates are twice as high as the rest the adult population.<\/p>\n

Across the Atlantic, the news was met with optimism. Drug manufacturers often launch their products in the US \u2013 the world\u2019s biggest medical market \u2013 before applying for registration in other countries, meaning FDA approvals can be an indication of drug approvals to come across Europe.<\/p>\n

Spravato, Johnson & Johnson\u2019s nasal spray to treat depression, was first approved in the US in March 2019, before being registered in Europe ten months later. The drug, which is based on ketamine, an anaesthetic with psychoactive effects, was introduced to the Swiss market a year after the US approval and is currently available in over 70 countries.<\/p>\n

Towards an approved psychedelic drug?<\/p>\n

The announcement broke from the traditional Republican position on drugs marked by President Nixon\u2019s criminalisation of substances such as LSD in the 1970s, which stifled medical research in the field. While new pharmacological treatments such as antidepressants were launched in the second half of the 20th century, research on the use of psychedelics in mental health was deemed risky until recently and was heavily legislated.<\/p>\n

+ Mental health disorders have been picked apart since antiquity. Find out what Switzerland\u2019s role was in treating them:<\/p>\n

\n More<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

More <\/p>\n

From Jung to psychedelics: a timeline of Switzerland\u2019s contributions to psychiatry <\/p>\n

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This content was published on <\/p>\n

Apr 23, 2025 <\/p>\n

From the synthesisation of LSD to the commercialisation of antidepressants, Switzerland has played a key role in the understanding and treatment of psychiatry. <\/p>\n

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Read more: From Jung to psychedelics: a timeline of Switzerland\u2019s contributions to psychiatry
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

But in Switzerland research has been ongoing ever since the discovery of one of the world\u2019s most potent psychedelic. The country actively experimented with LSD, psychoactive mushrooms psilocybin, and MDMA, a stimulant sometimes known as ecstasy, to treat mental illnesses. Although the substances are still illegal in the country, since 2014 doctors can request exceptional authorisations from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) for each treated patient suffering from conditions such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety.<\/p>\n

\u201cUS approvals will mean that Switzerland will eventually also approve the drugs, and special authorisations will no longer be required,\u201d said Daniele Zullino, head of psychedelic-assisted therapy at Geneva University Hospitals (HUG). This is good news for Switzerland.<\/p>\n

Psychedelic-assisted treatment\u00a0<\/p>\n

Treatments are approved under strict conditions, including following psychotherapy sessions before and after the use of psychedelics, which makes them time-consuming and expensive.<\/p>\n

Nurses observe individuals for sessions that can last up to eight hours, and follow-up psychotherapy sessions take place the day following intake. Treatment options are limited to a handful of private clinics, the university clinics of Bern, Zurich, Fribourg and the HUG, where patients had to wait six months to a year for access in 2025.<\/p>\n

+ How do psychedelics-assisted therapies work?<\/p>\n

\n More<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

More <\/p>\n

Switzerland is home to Europe\u2019s only psychedelics treatment <\/p>\n

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This content was published on <\/p>\n

Apr 23, 2025 <\/p>\n

Doctors at Swiss hospitals and private practices are turning to alternative methods such as psychedelics. But the therapies are costly, rare and sometimes informal. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Read more: Switzerland is home to Europe\u2019s only psychedelics treatment
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While some insurance policies cover the surveillance and the therapy part of the treatment, the drugs are entirely paid for by patients because they aren\u2019t approved by the country\u2019s medical surveillance authority Swissmedic. At HUG one session of LSD therapy costs CHF200-300 ($255-385), while psilocybin starts at CHF400 and can reach CHF800 for higher doses. Sessions are repeated about three times a year.<\/p>\n

Potential for the population<\/p>\n

In 2021 about 770,000 people, or 9% of the Swiss population, were on anti-depressants. That same year, only 147 special authorisations for psychedelics were given out, and about 2,000 have been granted overall in the last decade. With one in three patients unresponsive to antidepressants, the number of patients who could benefit from psychedelics is potentially much higher.<\/p>\n

Swissmedic registrations trickling down from the FDA could provide a solution to the high cost of psychedelics, but the approach to treatment is very different between the countries. Drug trials in the US will remain classical (proving efficacy over a placebo) and won\u2019t include the therapy side of the treatment, which is important to Switzerland.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe US approach believes that the molecules in the psychedelic drugs are going to treat patients, whereas the therapeutic alliance around a patient is also important,\u201d said Jonathan Crespo, a recovered psychedelic patient and co-founder of Psych\u00e9delos, a patient group for therapy-assisted psychedelics.<\/p>\n

With only a handful of institutions offering psychedelic-assisted treatments, this means competent staff is limited and the FOPH will have to work on solutions to carry out treatments as intended once products are registered.<\/p>\n

On April 24, three American companies received fast-track vouchers to review the results of psilocybin and methylone, a drug often used as a substitute for MDMA, on various types of depression. Switzerland has about five years until Swissmedic likely approves new psychedelic drugs. It has until then to figure out a system for the training of the medical staff and quality control for production and administration, Zullino said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe still have a lot of work to do because psychedelics aren\u2019t highly toxic substances, but they can impact a person\u2019s psyche,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Edited\u00a0by\u00a0Virginie\u00a0Mangin\/ts<\/p>\n

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