NCT03866252 (LAD) is a Phase 2 clinical trial of LSD in Major Depressive Disorder, sponsored by University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland.

Who is sponsoring NCT03866252?

NCT03866252 is sponsored by University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland.

What drugs are being tested in NCT03866252?

Interventions in NCT03866252: LSD.

What condition does NCT03866252 study?

NCT03866252 studies Major Depressive Disorder.

Is NCT03866252 still recruiting?

NCT03866252 is currently completed. Last updated 23 April 2025.

Last reviewed 2025-04-23 · How we verify

NCT03866252: LAD

Name: Drug Landscape Pharmaceutical Database
Creator: Drug Landscape
Published: 2026-01-01
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

LSD Therapy for Persons Suffering From Major Depression

Completed Phase 2 Last updated 23 April 2025

What this trial tests

Phase 2 trial testing LSD in Major Depressive Disorder in 60 participants. Completed in 1 December 2022.

Timeline

1 November 2019

Primary endpoint
29 September 2022

1 December 2022

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
Phase	Phase 2
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	quadruple
Primary purpose	treatment
Enrollment	60
Start date	1 November 2019
Primary completion	29 September 2022
Estimated completion	1 December 2022
Sites	1 location across Switzerland

Drugs / interventions tested

LSD — full drug profile →

Conditions studied

Major Depressive Disorder — all drugs for Major Depressive Disorder →

Sponsor

University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

Who can join

25 and older, any sex, with Major Depressive Disorder. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Background: Major Depressive Disorder is one of the most prevalent mental illnesses, leading to substantial personal distress and economical consequences. Pharmacological Treatment is limited and relapse is frequent. Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) was extensively investigated in humans in the 1950s and 1960s and was shown to attenuate depressive symptoms. Clinical research with LSD ended in the 1970s due to regulatory restrictions but its use for personal and recreational purposes continued. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the use of hallucinogens in psychiatric research and practices, reconsidering LSD's antidepressant potential. Larger, well-designed and placebo-controlled studies are warranted. This study will evaluate the potential benefits of LSD-assisted psychotherapy in patients suffering from Major Depressive Disorder. Objective: To test the efficacy of LSD in patients with Major Depressive Disorder. Design: Randomised, double-blind, active-placebo-controlled trial using either two moderate to high doses of LSD (100 µg and 100 µg or 100 µg and 200 µg) as intervention and two low doses of LSD (25 µg and 25 µg) as active-placebo control. Participants: 60 patients aged \> 25 years with Major Depressive Disorder (according to DSM-V). Main outcome measures: Change in depressive symptomatology (IDS, BDI), anxiety (STAI), and general psychopathology (SCL-90) compared with active-placebo-assisted psychotherapy.

Publications & conference data

8 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

Role of the 5-HT<sub>2A</sub> Receptor in Acute Effects of LSD on Empathy and Circulating Oxytocin.
Holze F, Avedisian I, Varghese N, Eckert A, et al · · 2021 · cited 48× · PMID 34326773 · DOI 10.3389/fphar.2021.711255
Safety pharmacology of acute LSD administration in healthy subjects.
Holze F, Caluori TV, Vizeli P, Liechti ME. · · 2022 · cited 38× · PMID 34515824 · DOI 10.1007/s00213-021-05978-6
Psychedelic Therapy's Transdiagnostic Effects: A Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) Perspective.
Kelly JR, Gillan CM, Prenderville J, Kelly C, et al · · 2021 · cited 36× · PMID 34975593 · DOI 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.800072
Psychedelic therapies reconsidered: compounds, clinical indications, and cautious optimism.
Mitchell JM, Anderson BT. · · 2024 · cited 32× · PMID 37479859 · DOI 10.1038/s41386-023-01656-7
The Use of Psychedelics in the Treatment of Medical Conditions: An Analysis of Currently Registered Psychedelics Studies in the American Drug Trial Registry.
Kurtz JS, Patel NA, Gendreau JL, Yang C, et al · · 2022 · cited 19× · PMID 36259015 · DOI 10.7759/cureus.29167
Efficacy and safety of low- versus high-dose-LSD-assisted therapy in patients with major depression: A randomized trial.
Müller F, Zaczek H, Becker AM, Ley L, et al · · 2025 · cited 9× · PMID 40482648 · DOI 10.1016/j.medj.2025.100725
Pharmacological and non-pharmacological predictors of the LSD experience in healthy participants.
Vizeli P, Studerus E, Holze F, Schmid Y, et al · · 2024 · cited 9× · PMID 39231959 · DOI 10.1038/s41398-024-03074-9
New agents and perspectives in the pharmacological treatment of major depressive disorder.
Sanches M, Quevedo J, Soares JC. · · 2021 · cited 9× · PMID 33159975 · DOI 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110157

Verify or expand the search:

Other trials of LSD

Trials testing the same drug.

NCT07503002 — Shortened LSD Intervention for Major Depressive Disorder · Phase 1 · not yet recruiting
NCT07490405 — Long-term Efficacy and Safety of LSD Versus TIPS for Cirrhotic Portal Hypertension Bleeding and Hypersplenism · NA · not yet recruiting
NCT07061886 — Drug Effects on Mood and Behavior - Expectancy · EARLY_PHASE1 · recruiting
NCT07017478 — Mood Effects of Serotonin Agonists: Depression · EARLY_PHASE1 · recruiting
NCT06899334 — Direct Comparison of Altered States of Consciousness Induced by LSD, Psilocybin, and DMT in Healthy Participants · Phase 1 · recruiting

Other recruiting trials for Major Depressive Disorder

Currently open trials in the same condition.

NCT07219394 — Peer-Delivered Behavioral Activation in a CCBHC · NA · recruiting
NCT06705478 — Pramipexole Versus Escitalopram to Treat Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Comorbid MDD With Mild Neurocognitive Disor · Phase 2 · recruiting
NCT06749392 — An Individual-specific Synchrony Signature · NA · recruiting
NCT07316803 — Group Intervention for Romantic Relationships in Young Adults With Severe Mental Illness · NA · recruiting
NCT07242105 — Optimizing Brain Excitability in Depression · NA · recruiting

Other University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland trials

Trials by the same sponsor.

NCT07444788 — Acute Effects of Intravenous 5-MeO-DMT in Healthy Participants · Phase 1 · recruiting
NCT07494214 — Acute Analgesic Effects of MDMA on Experimentally Induced Acute Pain, Hyperalgesia and Allodynia in Healthy Participants · Phase 1 · recruiting
NCT07419048 — Artificial Intelligence or Human Hand? Evaluating Inferior Vena Cava Imaging for Hydration Status · recruiting
NCT06978777 — Effect of Caffeine on Cold-stimulated Brown Adipose Tissue Activity · NA · recruiting
NCT07273630 — Effect of Protein Supplementation and Fluid Restriction on Plasma Sodium Levels in Patients Undergoing Pituitary Surgery · NA · recruiting

Verify against primary sources

ClinicalTrials.gov — authoritative US registry record
WHO ICTRP — international registry index
EU Clinical Trials Register
Sponsor press releases (Google)

Data sources for this page

Trial protocol + status: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03866252 (US National Library of Medicine, public domain)
Publications: Europe PMC API search by NCT ID, retrieved 10 June 2026
Drug + disease cross-links: matched in real time against Drug Landscape's normalised drug + company + condition tables
Sponsor: as reported to ClinicalTrials.gov by University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
Last refreshed: 23 April 2025

Drug Landscape aggregates and links these public records for informational use only. Always verify against the primary source before clinical or regulatory decisions. Canonical URL: https://druglandscape.com/trial/NCT03866252.

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