Atai Life Sciences CEO Dr Srinivas Rao talked with Proactive's Stephen Gunnion about the company's recent topline results from its Phase 2b trial evaluating BPL-003 for treatment-resistant depression. Rao described BPL-003 as a short-acting psychedelic with a total psychedelic duration of under two hours. He said, “The majority of patients were actually discharge ready by 90 minutes.” The study, conducted in nearly 200 patients, used three dosing levels and showed that the 8mg dose produced a change of over six points on the MADRS scale at four weeks — a benefit that persisted through eight weeks. He noted the findings confirmed strong efficacy and durability, comparable to psilocybin but with a significantly shorter duration of effect. The safety profile was positive, with no serious adverse events and the vast majority of side effects being mild or moderate. Rao also previewed next steps, including data from an open-label extension and a two-dose induction strategy. He confirmed plans to meet with regulators for end-of-Phase 2 guidance. Beyond BPL-003, Atai is progressing VLS-01 and EMP-01. VLS-01 is in a Phase 2b study, expected to report in Q1 next year. Rao also updated viewers on RL-007, a non-psychedelic cognitive enhancer in development through Recognify Life Sciences. Although RL-007 showed numerical improvement in a recent Phase 2b trial, it didn’t meet statistical significance, and Atai plans to explore partnership opportunities rather than continuing development in-house. Visit Proactive's YouTube channel for more interviews like this one. Don't forget to like the video, subscribe to the channel, and enable notifications for future updates. #AtaiLifeSciences #BPL003 #PsychedelicTherapy #TreatmentResistantDepression #ClinicalTrials #MentalHealth #BiotechNews #DrugDevelopment #RL007 #VLS01 #PsychiatryInnovation #HealthcareInvesting