First-ever drug application for MDMA finally reaches FDA after near 40-year journey

Figuring out how long it's taken the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies' (MAPS) application to reach the FDA’s desk all depends on when you start counting.

The organization was founded by Rick Doblin, Ph.D., in 1986 but didn't start its first clinical trial testing MDMA in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) until 2004. MAPS Public Benefit Organization, a sister organization focused on FDA approval, launched in 2014. Nonetheless, the moment has finally arrived.