Nov 12 (Reuters) - The US government will spend up to $4.9 million to prepare for clinical trials of psychedelic drug ibogaine as a possible treatment for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Thursday.
President Donald Trump had allocated $50 million in April for research into ibogaine.
• The mental health condition can develop after a traumatic event, causing symptoms such as flashbacks, anxiety, nightmares and heightened stress responses
• The awards "do not fund patient treatment or human subject research," Kennedy said
• Federal health research agency ARPA-H will provide the money
• Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company will develop ways to make ibogaine in the US, Kennedy said, adding its price would be similar to those of generic drugs, if it wins approval
• The National Institute of Mental Health opened a $20 million program to study drugs such as ketamine and psilocybin, expecting to name award winners in summer 2027
• ARPA-H will fund another ibogaine effort aimed at substance-use disorder, which should be announced by end-2026, Kennedy said
• The Trump administration said in October it was advancing the first government-funded trials of ibogaine to treat opioid addiction and PTSD
(Reporting by Kamal Choudhury and Padmanabhan Ananthan in Bengaluru; Editing by Joyjeet Das)