Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness

[EO 14401] is an executive action signed by President (name not specified in the order) that directs federal agencies to speed review, access, and research for psychedelic drugs intended to treat serious mental illnesses. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must prioritize appropriate psychedelic drugs and work with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to create access paths under the Right to Try Act (Sec. 2). The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), must allocate at least $50 million from existing funds to partner with States on these programs (Sec. 3). The order also directs HHS, FDA, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to share data and expand clinical trial participation to speed approvals (Sec. 4), which matters because it aims to bring new treatments to patients sooner.