Here’s the introduction..
Husch Blackwell is the the first Am Law 100 firm to offer counsel for companies in the emerging psychedelic industry. The firm represents clients around the world in major industries including energy and natural resources; financial services and capital markets; food and agribusiness; healthcare, life sciences and education; real estate, development and construction; and technology, manufacturing and transportation. For more information, visit huschblackwell.com.
Natasha Sumner, Kimberly Chew and Karen Luong are attorneys in Husch Blackwell LLP’s virtual office, The Link, and lead the firm’s Psychedelics & Emerging Therapies practice.
Husch Blackwell is the first Am Law 100 firm to establish a Psychedelics and Emerging Therapies practice group. How did this come to fruition?
We lateraled to Husch Blackwell together in April 2021 as part of a larger team. We have been following the research and development of these medicines for psychiatric conditions such as PTSD and treatment-resistant depression. The FDA is currently overseeing Phase I, II and III studies exploring the potential therapeutic benefit of psychoactive substances such as MDMA, psilocybin, LSD and DMT — some of which have received Breakthrough Therapy designation for PTSD and treatment resistant depression. We have a personal connection to this work as we all have family members who have suffered from such debilitating conditions and are drawn to the clinical trial successes which bring promise that psychedelics could become efficacious treatments.
We pitched the idea of formalizing a group dedicated to assisting companies, non-profits and academic medical centers navigate the highly complex legal and regulatory issues facing innovators and researchers in this burgeoning industry. The firm understood that the mental health market is underserved and that the ongoing research demonstrated that certain Schedule 1 substances could be medically useful in treating certain mental health disorders. As the first large national law firm to establish a practice group devoted to cannabis, and as the utility and acceptance of psychedelic therapies have gained a foothold across the medical community, the firm understood the value of establishing our Psychedelics & Emerging Therapies as a practice group to represent clients in this growing area of treatment.
How does Husch Blackwell intend to assist or guide innovators in the psychedelics industry?
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