Former U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema is spearheading efforts to secure funding for clinical trials of ibogaine, a plant-derived psychedelic, for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, and Parkinson's disease in Arizona.
House Bill 2871, which has already passed the Arizona House of Representatives with bipartisan support (36-22) and received unanimous approval from the Senate Appropriations Committee, proposes allocating $5 million in state funding for these trials. The bill is currently on hold as lawmakers finalize the state budget.
Proposed Clinical Trial Framework
The legislation calls for a combined $10 million investment—$5 million from the state and $5 million from private sources that Sinema is actively working to secure. If approved, these funds would be directed to the Arizona Department of Health Services, which would solicit bids for a facility to conduct clinical trials on ibogaine.
"The goal is to get the test results before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in hopes of winning FDA approval for the drug," Sinema explained. Currently, ibogaine is classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, meaning it is federally prohibited as the government does not recognize any legitimate medical applications.
Ibogaine is derived from a West African plant and has shown potential therapeutic properties in preliminary research. The proposed clinical trials would specifically evaluate its efficacy in treating PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and Parkinson's disease—conditions that affect millions of Americans and often lack fully effective treatment options.
Sinema's Advocacy and Potential Conflicts
Sinema has described her advocacy for this legislation as a personal "passion project" that she is pursuing pro bono. "I am doing this advocacy as a private citizen," she told The Arizona Republic.
Questions have emerged regarding potential conflicts of interest, as Sinema recently joined Hogan Lovells, an international law firm that previously represented MindMed, a biotech company that had conducted early-stage clinical trials on ibogaine for opioid use disorder in Australia.
Sinema has firmly denied any connection between her legislative advocacy and her new employer. "My work on this project took place before any discussions occurred regarding joining Hogan Lovells," Sinema stated. "The bill is not related to MindMed or its pipeline. MindMed is not exploring the use of ibogaine."
According to public radio station KJZZ, MindMed completed Phase 1 studies of ibogaine in 2021 but subsequently shelved the project pending new partners or funding. The Republic reached out to MindMed for comment on whether it is continuing work on ibogaine or tracking the Arizona legislation but did not receive an immediate response.
Scientific Context and Potential Impact
Psychedelic-assisted therapies have gained significant scientific interest in recent years, with compounds like psilocybin and MDMA showing promising results in clinical trials for various mental health conditions. Ibogaine represents another frontier in this emerging therapeutic landscape.
If successful, the Arizona initiative could provide crucial data to support FDA consideration of ibogaine as a legitimate medical treatment. This would potentially open new therapeutic avenues for veterans, trauma survivors, and patients with neurodegenerative conditions who have not responded adequately to conventional treatments.
The bipartisan support for the bill reflects growing recognition across political lines of the need for innovative approaches to mental health and neurological disorders, particularly as the nation continues to grapple with the aftermath of two decades of war and rising rates of neurodegenerative diseases in an aging population.
As the budget negotiations continue in the Arizona legislature, the fate of this pioneering research initiative remains uncertain, but its progress thus far signals increasing openness to exploring previously stigmatized substances for their potential therapeutic benefits.
