British firm starts trials of psychedelic drug to treat depression

People suffering with depression could soon have a new treatment, in the form of a drug based on a common psychedelic substance found in plants, developers claim. The first patient dosing of the drug, based on the compound DMT (N-Dimethyltryptamine), is being given to'healthy brained' first time drug users in a clinical trial that will examine the impact the substance has on the brain. If successful, the second stage of the trial will see the team experiment with different dosing levels and strategies and eventually treat people with depression. It works by sending the patient on a hallucinogenic trip that acts to'break down' blockages in the mind, that can then be restored with a course of therapy. British biotech firm Small Pharma are running the trial, and CEO Peter Rands told MailOnline said it had the potential to help people not supported by current drugs.