Compass Pathways

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Compass Pathways
Industry Pharmaceutical; Psychedelic medicine
FoundedJune 13, 2016;8 years ago (2016-06-13) in London, United Kingdom
FounderGeorge Goldsmith; Ekaterina Malievskaia
Headquarters
London
,
United Kingdom
Website compasspathways.com

Compass Pathways, or COMPASS Pathways, is a British pharmaceutical company developing psychedelics as potential medicines. [1] [2] [3] Its main drug candidate, psilocybin (COMP360), is currently in phase 3 clinical trials for treatment-resistant depression. [1] [2] [4] This candidate has received breakthrough therapy status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). [1] It is the most advanced psychedelic drug candidate in development besides Lykos Therapeutics's midomafetamine (MDMA). [2]

Contents

Compass Pathways is the largest company in the psychedelic medicine industry [5] and, in 2020, was the first psychedelic medicine company to be listed on the NASDAQ. [1] It has faced criticism for patenting psychedelic drugs and even certain psilocybin mushroom species. [1] [5] In October 2024, after the FDA rejected Lykos Therapeutics's MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) New Drug Application (NDA), Compass Pathways said that it would lay off 30% of its workforce and narrow its research focus. [6]

Compass Pathways has entered partnerships with several independent psychedelic academic scientists, including Jason Wallach, Hamilton Morris, and Adam Halberstadt among others, to develop novel psychedelic drugs for potential medical use. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] Wallach's lab is said to have sought patents for over 200 novel compounds as of May 2024. [11]

Compass Pathways switched from being a nonprofit organization to a for-profit company in 2016. [10] The pharmaceutical company has been backed and funded by a number of tech entrepreneurs such as Peter Thiel. [5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Aday, Jacob S.; Barnett, Brian S.; Grossman, Dan; Murnane, Kevin S.; Nichols, Charles D.; Hendricks, Peter S. (1 September 2023). "Psychedelic Commercialization: A Wide-Spanning Overview of the Emerging Psychedelic Industry". Psychedelic Medicine. 1 (3): 150–165. doi:10.1089/psymed.2023.0013. ISSN   2831-4425.
  2. 1 2 3 Rhee TG, Davoudian PA, Sanacora G, Wilkinson ST (December 2023). "Psychedelic renaissance: Revitalized potential therapies for psychiatric disorders". Drug Discov Today. 28 (12): 103818. doi:10.1016/j.drudis.2023.103818. PMID   37925136.
  3. ↑ Travers, Mark (8 July 2024). "A Synthetic Psychedelic Is Making Waves In Stubborn Depression Treatment—Here's What You Need To Know". Forbes. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  4. ↑ "Psilocybin (COMP360) - COMPASS Pathways". AdisInsight. 20 December 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Tvorun-Dunn M (December 2022). "Acid liberalism: Silicon Valley's enlightened technocrats, and the legalization of psychedelics". Int J Drug Policy. 110: 103890. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103890. PMID   36279734.
  6. ↑ Jensen, Kristin (31 October 2024). "Compass delays anticipated psilocybin readout, cuts staff". BioPharma Dive. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  7. ↑ Semley, John (26 July 2022). "The High-Stakes Race to Engineer New Psychedelic Drugs". WIRED. Archived from the original on 26 December 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  8. ↑ Wood, Sam (15 February 2021). "Envisioning a psychedelic future for Philadelphia's USciences as it pairs with Compass Pathways for a Drug Discovery Center". inquirer.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  9. ↑ Ben Seal (May 2024). "A Psychedelic Renaissance". Saint Joseph's University Magazine. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  10. 1 2 Hausfeld, Russel; Nickles, David (September 22, 2021). "Hamilton Morris Hired by Psilocybin Startup COMPASS Pathways, Ends "Hamilton's Pharmacopeia" On Vice".
  11. 1 2 "Psychedelic Compounds are Focus of USciences Lab". Newsroom. 18 October 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  12. ↑ COMPASS Pathways (9 February 2021). "COMPASS Pathways expands its Discovery Center through new collaborations with world-leading scientists". GlobeNewswire News Room. Retrieved 28 January 2025.


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