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New Zealand’s Medsafe approves two psychiatrists to prescribe pharmaceutical-grade MDMA for severe PTSD, making New Zealand the second country after Australia to allow MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. The approval applies only to Dr Gary Wynn in Wellington and Dr Tom Paterson in Auckland, not the wider medical system. Patients must be adults with severe PTSD that has not responded to standard treatment. MDMA can only be administered in clinics alongside guided psychotherapy, with no take-home use. The decision highlights a global divide, as the U.S. FDA remains cautious.
Friday, 4 September, 2026