What if a psychedelic-inspired compound could treat mood disorders without causing users to hallucinate?
Boston-based Onsero is exiting stealth mode, announcing its intent to develop a psychedelic-inspired antidepressant that offer therapeutic benefits without causing hallucinations.
Such a drug would avoid the shadow side of classic psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin.
Classic psychedelics continue to be Schedule I substances, which the federal government deems as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”
Some individuals who try psychedelics can have intense fear-ridden experiences while the drug is in their system. Others can have hallucinogen-persisting perception disorder (HPPD), a condition in which perceptual changes continue after the effects of the drug have worn off.
Finally, a significant number of people continue to view psychedelics with skepticism. A 2020 survey found that fo…