A recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry by researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, and the San Francisco Veterans Administration Medical Center, explores how altering informed consent procedures could bolster the scientific integrity of psychedelic drug trials without compromising ethical standards. The research points out that between 94% and 100% of participants in psychedelic trials could accurately identify whether they received the active treatment or a placebo, a phenomenon known as 'functional unmasking.' This accuracy potentially skews trial outcomes through expectancy effects and placebo responses, raising concerns about the reliability of the results.
The study identifies three main strategies used in psychedelic trials to modify informed consent: obscuring information about study arms and treatment chances, withholding specific details about drugs and dosages, and masking information about placebo features or comparator drugs. For example, a 2006 study misled participants by stating they could receive one of 11 different interventions, when in reality, only two—psilocybin and methylphenidate—were possible. Similarly, a 2018 study concealed details about methylenedioxymethamphetamine dosages and the identity of the comparator drug. These approaches aim to reduce unmasking without increasing participant risk.
Despite these efforts, the study reveals a significant gap in the field: only five out of ten psychedelic studies that implemented modified consent procedures evaluated whether these changes improved masking effectiveness. Moreover, no study was specifically designed to test the impact of consent modifications on masking efficacy, highlighting the need for further research to establish standardized best practices.
The researchers propose several measures to mitigate ethical risks, including mandatory debriefing, participatory research, participant-authorized modifications, and access to active treatment through open-label extension arms. They also emphasize the importance of measuring expectancy effects and masking success in future trials to enhance the rigor and interpretability of psychedelic research.
This analysis emerges as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted breakthrough therapy designations to at least five psychedelic treatments, signaling a growing interest in their therapeutic potential. The study was supported by the Veterans Administration Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, and the NIH National Institute on Aging.
