New Zealand approves MDMA for severe PTSD

New Zealand has become the second country in the world to authorize the clinical use of MDMA for treating severe post-traumatic stress disorder, following Australia's lead in 2023. The country's medicines regulator, Medsafe, has approved two psychiatrists to prescribe pharmaceutical-grade MDMA as part of a supervised therapy program for adults with treatment-resistant PTSD. The approvals, announced on September 4, 2026, were granted to Dr. Gary Wynn of Wellington and Dr. Tom Paterson of Auckland. The psychiatrists spent more than a year navigating the regulatory process to secure the authorization. The decision aligns New Zealand with a growing international movement to explore psychedelic-assisted therapies for mental health conditions. Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour endorsed the move, stating that "PTSD ruins lives and is difficult to treat" and that "MDMA can be very effective at treating it through psychedelic-assisted therapy." He emphasized that the government is committed to ensuring the regulatory system does not unreasonably hold back access to innovative treatments. The treatment protocol is strictly controlled.