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RecruitingPhase 2

5-HT2A Agonist Psilocybin in the Treatment of Tobacco Use Disorder

NCT05452772 · Johns Hopkins University

Recruiting
Status
Accepting participants
Phase 2
Phase
66
Target enrolment
3
Study sites
3 US states

What it is testing

Summary

This is a multi-site, double-blind, randomized clinical trial of the 5-HT2A receptor agonist psilocybin for smoking cessation. Four sites with experience in conducting psilocybin research will be involved in this trial: Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and New York University (NYU). The proposed study will treat 66 participants (22 at each site), randomized to receive either: 1) oral psilocybin (30 mg in session 1 and either 30 mg or 40 mg in session 2); or 2) oral niacin (150 mg in session 1 and either 150 mg or 200 mg in session 2), with sessions 1 week apart.

Summary as written by the trial’s own sponsor and published on ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. It is the sponsor’s description, reproduced unedited, not an assessment by this site.

What counts as success

Primary outcome measures

  • Potential Efficacy (Smoking Cessation)

    Measured over 12 months

A trial succeeds or fails on its primary outcome, declared in advance. Everything else it reports is secondary by definition.

Who can take part

Eligibility, as published

21 Years
Ages
All
Sex
Accepted
Healthy volunteers
Inclusion Criteria: * 21 years old or older * Be a daily smoker (minimum of 5 cigarettes/day on a typical day and breath CO of 6 or greater at screening) with multiple unsuccessful previous quit attempts, and report a continued desire to quit smoking * Read, write, and speak English * Agree to abstain from smoking for the psilocybin/niacin session from 1 hour before psilocybin/niacin administration until at least 8 hours afterward * Agree to refrain from using any psychoactive drugs, including alcoholic beverages, within 24 hours of psilocybin/niacin administration * Be healthy as determined by screening for medical problems via a personal interview, a medical questionnaire, a physical examination, an electrocardiogram (ECG), and routine medical blood and urinalysis lab tests. See Exclusion Criteria below for specific ECG and specific blood test criteria Exclusion Criteria: * The use of e-cigarettes or tobacco products other than machine-manufactured combustible cigarettes (e.g., cigarillos) on more than 5 of the previous 30 days * Women who are pregnant (positive pregnancy test) or nursing, or are not practicing an effective means of birth control * Positive urine drug screen for illicit drugs (excluding cannabis) * Positive urine breath test for alcohol. Participants with positive tests will be rescheduled * For blood samples, the following lab values will be exclusionary: transaminases greater than x2 the upper limit of normal lab reference range, hemoglobin less than 11 g/d, and creatinine clearance \< 40 ml/min using the Cockroft-Gault equation. * For ECG screening: The ECG will be read by a cardiologist. Corrected heart rate (QTc) greater than 450 msec will be excluded. * Patients who have baseline vital signs that exceed the following measurements will be excluded from participation: Systolic blood pressure (SBP) \> 139 mmHG, diastolic blood pressure (DBP)\> 89 mmHG, and heart rate of \<=95 beats per minute (BPM). The investigators will perform serial heart rate monitoring with 3 total attempts. That is, heart rate must be \<=95 bpm on one of these attempts to be included in the study. * Currently taking on a regular basis (e.g., daily) antidepressants of any drug class, antipsychotics, or monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), or serotonin-acting dietary supplements (e.g., 5-hydroxy- tryptophan, St. John's wort). Currently taking efavirenz, Acetaldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitors such as disulfiram (Antabuse), Alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitors, or uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase 1-9 (UGT1A9) inhibitors or uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase 1-10 (UGT1A10) inhibitors such as phenytoin, regorafenib, eltrombopag. For individuals who have intermittent or "as needed" use of such medications, psilocybin sessions will not be conducted until at least 5 half-lives of the agent have elapsed after the last dose * Current use of medications for smoking cessation (i.e., varenicline, nicotine replacement products, bupropion) * Current neurological illnesses including, but not limited to, seizure disorders, frequent migraines or on prophylaxis, multiple sclerosis, movement disorders, history of significant head trauma (loss of consciousness \> 24 hours), or central nervous system (CNS) tumor * Recent (within the past 12 months) or an extensive history of psychedelic use (\>20 lifetime uses) * Current or past history of meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for Schizophrenia, Psychotic Disorder (unless substance-induced or due to a medical condition), or Bipolar I or II Disorder. Current or past history within the last 5 years of meeting DSM-5 criteria for alcohol or drug use disorder (excluding caffeine and nicotine) or severe major depression * Recent (past year) history of suicidal behavior or attempt or high-level current suicidal ideation assessed by the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) * Have a first- or second-degree relative with schizophrenia, psychotic disorder (unless substance induced or due to a medical condition), or bipolar I or II disorder * Currently meets DSM-5 criteria for Dissociative Disorder, Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Major Depression, or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Where

3 study sites

FacilityCityRegionCountry
University of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamAlabamaUnited States
Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMarylandUnited States
New York UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUnited States

On the registry

Contact the trial directly

This site does not enrol anyone and is not involved in this trial. To ask about taking part, use the sponsor’s own contact details on the official registry record, which is also where the most current version of everything above lives.

Before you do, the preparation checklist lists what a site will ask you on a first call and what is worth asking them. It is free and collects nothing.

NCT05452772 on ClinicalTrials.gov →

Last updated in the registry 2026-06-29. Registry records change; this page reflects the data build of 2026-08-25.

Related

Where this trial sits