SPL026 is a form of DMT given into a vein alongside psychological support, developed by Small Pharma, which the trial paper says is now Cybin UK. Its phase 2a trial ran at clinical research units in London and Liverpool (Erritzoe et al., 2026; ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04673383). An earlier phase 1 part tested it in healthy volunteers who had never taken a psychedelic (James et al., 2024).
In the placebo-controlled stage, 17 people with depression received DMT and 17 received placebo. After two weeks, clinician-rated depression scores fell 7.35 points more with DMT than with placebo, a statistically significant difference (Erritzoe et al., 2026). Researchers are interested partly because the drug session lasts minutes rather than most of a day, as with psilocybin.
The authors are frank about the limits. The sample was small and 88% white, 9 of 34 dropped out of the later phase, and blinding and expectancy were not measured. Several authors were employed by the sponsor (Erritzoe et al., 2026). One small trial is not proof of a treatment. In Canada, DMT remains a Schedule III controlled substance. This is not medical advice.
Sources
- Erritzoe et al., 2026, Nature Medicine: SPL026 phase 2a trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04673383
- James et al., 2024, Frontiers in Psychiatry: SPL026 phase 1
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