With FDA decision looming, bipartisan group of lawmakers urge support for MDMA to treat PTSD

CNN —

In a show of bipartisanship, 80 members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have united in letters urging President Joe Biden and the US Food and Drug Administration to further consider studies on MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder — an effort that aims to expedite access to a treatment they hope could help veterans.

The coordinated effort is a call for action from the highest levels of government to provide relief to millions of people experiencing PTSD amid a dramatic rise in veteran suicides.

“Our country has a severe veteran suicide and PTSD crisis where 6,000 veterans die by suicide each year, with over 150,000 suicides since 9/11,” the Senate letter to FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf states. “As a nation, we cannot allow our veterans to continue to suffer in silence and must identify treatments proven to drastically decrease the adverse effects of PTSD. … The potential for groundbreaking advancements in PTSD treatment is within reach, and we owe it to our veterans and other affected populations to review these potentially transformative therapies based on robust clinical and scientific evidence.”

About 5% of adults in the United States — some 13 million people — experience PTSD in any given year, according to estimates from the National Center for PTSD. But current treatment options — including antidepressants and some specialized forms of cognitive behavioral therapy — are limited in their scope and effectiveness, with few alternatives available to help those who don’t respond well to them.

One letter is signed by 61 House members and led by Michigan GOP Rep. Jack Bergman, a retired three-star USMC general and the highest-ranking combat veteran in Congress. It is