Contract Research Organizations Partner to Accelerate European Psychedelic Clinical Trials

European psychedelic research can now be accelerated, thanks to a new partnership between contract research organizations (CROs) Clerkenwell Health and Transpharmation that will allow for both pre-clinical and clinical trials to run side-by-side.

This partnership will provide a one-stop shop for drug developers looking to bring new psychedelic-inspired medicines to the market. It will offer integrated and coordinated support and methodology for all stages of psychedelic research from preclinical to Phase 3 trials, with the goal of providing a clear pathway for this research to be translated into improved outcomes for patients.

As psychedelic drug developers race against their competition to bring new drugs to market, many of these companies are turning to CROs. CROs are organizations that are hired by a company to manage their clinical trials and perform other tasks to help bring medicines or medical devices to market.

The market for CRO services is expected to grow significantly over the next five years from $53.2 billion in 2021 to $86.5 billion in 2026. Many governments, foundations, and universities are outsourcing their research to CROs because these organizations have the expertise required to conduct trials safely and efficiently. CROs carry out a variety of complex activities from protocol design and preparation of materials, to making submissions to regulators such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Both Clerkenwell Health and Transpharmation are CROs with experience in the European psychedelic research space. Clerkenwell Health was the first CRO to specialize in psychedelic research in Europe, and the company has previously worked with several drug developers in Canada and Europe. Transpharmation — a UK-based CRO for pre-clinical neuroscience with laboratories in the UK, Ireland, and Poland — has worked on pre-clinical trials with ketamine and psilocybin, and in partnership with UK psychedelic mental health company Compass Pathways. 

The two organizations hope this new partnership will build on the UK’s position as a hub for psychedelic medicine and a world leader in clinical trials. “Transpharmation’s expertise in the neuroscience and psychedelic field perfectly complements the work we are doing at Clerkenwell and ensures that we can provide our clients with the full suite of CRO services from early-stage regulatory advisory through to trial design and delivery at any stage of the drug development life cycle,” said Clerkenwell Health CEO Tom McDonald.

Transpharmation CEO Mark Duxon added: “The future for UK bioscience, with benefits to human health and drug discovery, is extremely strong.”