The firms hoping to take psychedelic drugs mainstream

Key Facts

A shorter psychedelic experience could both entice more patients - not everyone is able to spend a day in a dosing clinic - and free up clinical space so more people can receive treatment, says Andrew Kruegel, the company's co-founder and chief scientific officer.
Beckley Psytech, also UK-based, is looking at the intravenous administration of psilocybin's biologically active metabolite, psilocin, which would bring down the length of the trip to about an hour and a half.
The company hasn't declared which mental illness will be its first target, but the advantages Prof Olson anticipates of non-hallucinogenic psychedelics over antidepressants is they would kick in much sooner, and could be taken less often (antidepressants take weeks to months to work and need to be taken daily).
Her research shows they open a window of time - a so called "critical period" - in the brain where it is more sensitive to the environment, and has an enhanced ability to learn and form lasting memories (psilocybin's critical period, for example, lasts two weeks).