Overview
- Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said ARPA-H will award up to $4.9 million on Thursday to prepare for U.S. clinical trials of ibogaine aimed at veterans with PTSD.
- Kennedy and VA officials emphasized the money will fund infrastructure and study planning rather than any direct patient treatment or human-subject research.
- The government will obtain treatment data and guidance from Beond Inc., a Texas firm that has treated thousands with ibogaine in Mexico, and plans call for domestic manufacturing work with Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drug Company.
- Ibogaine remains illegal in the United States and carries serious safety risks, including intense hallucinations and the potential for deadly heart rhythm problems, which is why officials stress safety and rigorous study design.
- The move follows President Trump’s April directive and $50 million allocation to speed psychedelic research and arrives as federal programs study other psychedelics such as psilocybin and ketamine, which could influence future regulation and access.