COMPASS Pathways & Hackensack Meridian Health Partners to Enhance Mental Healthcare

COMPASS Pathways & Hackensack Meridian Health collaborated to develop the delivery strategy for COMP360 psilocybin therapy, enhancing mental healthcare.

UK-based COMPASS Pathways, a biotechnology company and Hackensack Meridian Health, one of the leading integrated healthcare networks in New Jersey, have joined forces. The companies intend to develop the delivery strategy for the experimental COMP360 psilocybin therapy, subject to FDA approval.

Further, the partnership also seeks to improve health outcomes and the experiences of both patients and healthcare providers addressing mental health conditions, specifically treatment-resistant depression.

The joint effort will also analyse the practical issues in providing care for individuals with depression, guiding the design of upcoming clinical trials for COMP360 psilocybin treatment and studying the potential delivery methods following FDA approval.

How Psilocybin Treatment & COMP360 will Work

COMP360 is a synthesised formulation of psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic prodrug compound found in over 200 species of fungi. Psilocybin acts on serotonin 2a receptors in the brain, enhancing flexibility and communication between regions.

COMP360 psilocybin therapy demonstrates promise in addressing mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, addictions, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and psychosis. This therapy is part of ongoing research into various forms of psychedelic therapy.

Sharing thoughts, Kabir Nath, CEO of Compass Pathways, said, "Our collaboration with Hackensack Meridian Health will help us understand how investigational COMP360 psilocybin treatment, if approved, could be delivered to provide better treatment options for people who urgently need them.”

Compass Pathway’s Recent Mental Health Initiatives

This month, Compass Pathways and Greenbrook TMS collaborated in a three-year research agreement to explore scalable delivery models for COMP360 psilocybin treatment following FDA approval. The research focused on delivery within the US healthcare systems, specifically at treatment centres across the country, leveraging Greenbrook TMS's existing network. The collaboration aimed to enhance patient care experiences, understand therapist needs, and explore the integration of digital tools into Greenbrook TMS's care pathways.

In December, last year, Compass Pathways disclosed that the investigational COMP360 psilocybin treatment demonstrated favourable tolerability in a phase-II clinical trial for individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In a similar development for Mental Healthcare, days back, Baracoda introduced BMind, the world's inaugural AI-powered smart mirror designed for mental wellness. Developed by the France-based connected health solution provider, BMind employs advanced Generative AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP) from the CareOS platform.

Headquartered in London, Compass Pathways is a biotechnology company that was founded in 2016 by Ekaterina Malievskaia, George Goldsmith, and Lars Christian Wilde. The company focuses on developing clinical research programs and treatments for depression and works to accelerate patient access to evidence-based innovations in mental health.

Hackensack Meridian Health, on the other hand, is a healthcare provider network based out of Edison, New Jersey, USA. It was formed on June 21, 2016, by a merger between Hackensack University Medical Center and Meridian Health. The network operates 17 hospitals, 36,000 team members, and more than 500 other facilities including ambulatory care centres, fitness and wellness centres, home health services, rehab centres, and skilled nursing centres spanning from Bergen to Atlantic counties.