Entheon Biomedical: Combatting Addiction with Psychedelic DMT

Addiction is an issue that affects a significant number of people worldwide. While conventional treatments have existed for decades, they offer a very low rate of efficacy, often as low as 5%. For Timothy Ko, CEO of Entheon Biomedical, the problem is personal, and he’s doing something about it.

“I know firsthand the limitations of conventional treatments as they relate to addiction” Ko confided. “I lost a brother to addiction in March of 2019, after watching him struggle for over two decades. Unfortunately, it’s a story that is lived out millions of times every day and there are many who are left to suffer with no hope of recovery. Solving this dilemma is the driving force behind Entheon.”

According to The Association of American Medical Colleges, as of 2019, an estimated 21 million people suffer from an addiction disorder [1], and the economic burden of these issues is staggering. More than $700 billion dollars is spent per year on health care, policing, and lost productivity.

Entheon’s solution? The psychedelic drug, DMT.

DMT is a naturally occurring molecule that has been chemically synthesized for clinical use. Entheon is currently researching and developing this psychedelic to address nicotine, alcohol, and opioid use disorders.

Anecdotal evidence suggests DMT has the ability to create profound insights that allow individuals to more easily see their impediments and move through them. It enables those with deep trauma to bypass shame-based narratives and see themselves in a more caring and forgiving light.

Recently, a trial involving psilocybin, another type of psychedelic, was used to treat smokers. It had an 87% decrease in usage after just 6 months, so there is a lot to be encouraged by when it comes to psychedelics. Entheon is looking to build on this trial by using it as a framework for the clinical development of DMT.

“DMT is one of the most powerful psychedelics in existence, but it’s also one of the safest to use,” Ko explained. “In the event of an adverse reaction, we can stop the flow of drug and have the patient return to a functional baseline in the course of about five to ten minutes, unlike other longer form psychedelics.”

The fast-acting nature of DMT provides a clear advantage for clinical settings, allowing for the potential of shorter therapy sessions as compared to longer-lasting psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin or LSD. . That, in turn, provides greater opportunity for psychotherapeutic touchpoints and flexible program design. It also makes it easier to scale up this type of therapy given the diminished time and cost factors related to mental health professionals and physicians.

While the development of a potential breakthrough drug is exciting, it isn’t the full extent of Entheon’s work. “Beyond the safe use of DMT, we’re also developing tools so patients and physicians can make more informed choices when it comes to selecting the most appropriate drugs and diminishing the risk of adverse reactions, Ko said. “It’s something that will allow us to develop unique and highly specialized treatments for each individual.”

To that end, Entheon recently launched The Psychedelics Genetic Test in the U.S., developed by their wholly-owned subsidiary, HaluGen Life Sciences. “The HaluGen test kit is a first of its kind consumer test that can be used in relation to a variety of psychedelics,” Ko explained. “It looks for psychiatric risk factors, as well as metabolic factors that indicate whether a person is likely to have or develop psychiatric disorders. It also helps evaluate whether they are likely to have a strong or weak response to a drug. An individual can then use that information to start a conversation with a healthcare provider regarding possible treatment.”

Entheon is also developing an Electroencephalogram (EEG) platform that will enable physicians to monitor brain activity during treatments. It involves an easy-to-use EEG cap that is placed on the patient’s head. Over the course of treatment, EEG data will be transmitted in real-time back to a cloud-based program so a physician can determine whether or not an individual is going through the experience as predicted.

While Entheon still has work to do before their chemically synthesized DMT gains regulatory approval, one thing is clear, there's an explosion of interest in psychedelics due to the work of companies like Compass Pathways (NASDAQ: CMPS), Mind Medicine (NASDAQ: MNMD) and Entheon. If any of them can capture just a small percentage of that market, the returns could be massive.

In the meantime, Entheon will be conducting one of the world's first DMT trials on healthy individuals to establish a safety baseline for treatment. The results of that trial should help the company pursue a variety of additional indications.

For more information on Entheon Biomedical Corp. (CSE: ENBI, OTCQB: ENTBF) please click the request investor info button.

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