Mental Healthcare Innovation

Ira Pastor, ideaXme life sciences ambassador, interviews Florian Brand, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of ATAI Life Sciences AG. Ira Pastor Comments: On a few recent episodes, we have journeyed into the area psychedelic therapies, which broadly refers to specific therapeutic practices involving pharmacotherapeutic interventions based on psychedelic drugs In psychedelic therapy, in contrast to conventional psychiatric medication taken by the patient regularly or as-needed, patients generally remain in an extended psychotherapy session during the acute psychedelic activity, with additional sessions both before and after, in order to help integrate experiences with the specific drug. Some of our guests on previous episodes who we have discussed specific drug development programs with have included: Dr. Ekaterina Malievskaia MD, Chief Innovation Officer, Co-founder, and Research and Development Director at COMPASS Pathways, currently researching how psilocybin therapy could help people with disorders such as treatment-resistant depression. Dr. Deborah Mash, University of Miami, discussing ibogaine derived therapeutics for opioid addiction withdrawal. Dr. Dennis McKenna, famed American ethnopharmacologist, discussing the entheogenic brew Ayahuasca which is highly rich in the compound Dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Today, we are going to go to the next level and talk about how an industrial and investment ecosystem is being developed around this on-going research domain to enable clinical, registrational, and large-scale human use of such products across the patient population. ATAI Life Sciences: ATAI Life Sciences AG (ATAI named after the Africian goddess of creation) is a global biotechnology investment platform and company builder, based in Berlin, London and New York, with a vision of curing a wide range of mental health disorders, enabling people to live healthier and happier lives. ATAI focuses on investing in and developing paradigm-shifting and formerly stigmatized compounds, with prior evidence for efficacy and safety, in humans. Florian Brand is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of ATAI Life Sciences and is our guest on the show today. Prior to joining ATAI, Florian was Managing Director of Springlane, Germany’s leading online kitchen appliance retailer. Florian’s experiences seeing his friends and loved ones failed by the mental health system inspired him to join the movement to transform the way we discover and develop novel neuropsychiatric therapeutics. On this episode we will hear from Florian about: His background, education and journey in the business world, and arrival at the epicenter of psychedelic therapy investment and business development. The current state of the psychedelic drug development segment. ATAI's strategy in developing poly-pharmacological drugs that have been de-risked and boast long history of positive anecdotal evidence. Some of ATAI Life Sciences investments and partnerships. The current investment market for psychedelic drug development business models. Regulatory issues surrounding psychedelic drug development. Credits: Ira Pastor interview video, text, and audio. Follow Ira Pastor on Twitter: @IraSamuelPastor Follow ideaXme on Twitter: @ideaxm On Instagram: @ideaxme Find ideaXme across the internet including on iTunes, SoundCloud, Radio Public, TuneIn Radio, I Heart Radio, Google Podcasts, Spotify and more. ideaXme is a global podcast, creator series and mentor programme. Our mission: Move the human story forward!™ ideaXme Ltd.