Ten VA Sites, REMS and Ibogaine’s “Uphill Battle”: Federal Officials Weigh In on Psychedelic Access

Federal officials at the Psychedelic Healthcare Forum described the opportunities and constraints involved in expanding psychedelic access. The Veterans Health Administration has selected ten initial sites with relevant clinical-trial experience and is preparing to deploy FDA-approved psychedelic therapies if they become available, potentially as early as January or February 2027. The VA serves 9 million veterans, including about 2.1 million with PTSD, major depressive disorder, or treatment-resistant depression, but officials stressed that these labor-intensive interventions require a safety-first approach. Andrew Gradison said treating four digits’ worth of patients in the first year may be difficult, meaning demand will likely exceed supply. The agency plans to collect real-world evidence to refine treatment delivery and understand which therapies work for which patients. The supplied excerpt also identifies FDA and ARPA-H participation, including discussion of REMS and ibogaine, but does not provide the full details of those topics.