Psychedelics Market 2023 Year-End Review

Patenting and commercialization could be headwinds

The market for psychedelic therapies is evolving, and with the changing landscape there will be challenges that must be addressed. In a December 2022 research paper, experts explored the economic considerations surrounding PAT, including market dynamics and the potential for growth and consolidation in the space.

Bruce Campbell, president and portfolio manager at StoneCastle Investment Management, discussed MindMed in a market call with BNN Bloomberg: “One of the risks they obviously have with a company like (MindMed), they're going to need to continually raise money over time, much like the cannabis sector has done, to kind of build out their operations. So they're nowhere near the point where they're going to be cashflow positive. So you do have to be aware that if the stock runs up it could pull back on financing, and it's probably a position that you want to trade around.”

Campbell’s comments specifically address MindMed, but they also speak to the broader challenges and risks associated with investing in the psychedelics industry, including the need for ongoing funding and the potential volatility.

While some clinical trials have yielded promising results, companies must still overcome the complexities of patenting and commercializing their products. One issue that could hinder profitability is that psychedelic compounds are naturally occurring substances that may be difficult to protect under existing intellectual property laws.

To address this challenge, companies in the psychedelics industry are exploring a range of strategies, including developing novel formulations of compounds, combining them with other ingredients to create proprietary products and leveraging their expertise and data to establish a competitive advantage.

For example, Numinus Wellness (TSX:NUMI,OTCQX:NUMIF) made significant changes to its business in 2023 in order to increase its revenue, including launching a clinic licensing platform called Numinus Network, expanding its practitioner training programs and partnering with Healing Commercial Real Estate to find more clinics for its services. The company also closed operations at its non-revenue-producing Numinus Bioscience research lab.

After turning its focus to revenue-generating activities, Numinus reported significant growth in revenue in the fourth quarter of 2023, including US$5 million from the company’s wellness clinics.

As part of its focus on practitioner training, Numinus announced a partnership with MAPS in June, for which it submitted a clinical trial application to Health Canada. The purpose of the trial is to study how healthcare practitioners could establish protocols and procedures for MAPS’ MDMA-assisted therapy and identify any potential challenges. If successful, Numinus has plans to incorporate the therapy into its repertoire of PAT education and training programs.

While regulatory considerations are an important factor in the growth and development of the PAT industry, another trend affecting the sector is the increasing consolidation of the market through mergers and acquisitions.

“We've seen a huge amount of consolidation over the last couple of years, down from maybe 60 reported psychedelic companies to frankly only about a half a dozen now that are really focused on drug development,” Drysdale noted. Two such examples in 2023 were Cybin’s acquisition of Small Pharma and Otsuka’s (TSE:4578) acquisition of Mindset.

Psychedelics industry working to address ethical concerns

As the PAT sector develops, concerns are also arising, especially when it comes to the need for companies to balance affordable and equitable access to treatment as they pursue growth and expansion.

To this end, Beckley Waves, a venture studio that works exclusively with practitioners in the psychedelics space, established the New Ethics Council in June. The council is composed of experts who will be able to provide guidance on best practices. Among them is Beckley Waves founder Amanda Fielding, who has been an influential presence in the industry for generations, pouring over 55 years of research into the benefits of psychedelic experiences.

Investor takeaway

Looking back on recent developments in the psychedelics industry, it’s clear that in 2023 the field made significant strides in terms of clinical research, as well as some regulatory progress.

Of course, uncertainties still lie ahead in this young sector. “Despite positive broader market performance across other major indices, risk-off sentiment from 2022 persisted throughout 2023, which has led to a greater gulf between the psychedelic and biotech industries and other sectors,” said Husain.