The Week of

Researchers from Johns Hopkins found that psychedelic therapy may significantly outperform traditional nicotine replacement treatments when it comes to helping people quit smoking.

In a new clinical study, smokers who received psilocybin along with counseling were far more likely to quit smoking than those who used nicotine patches. After six months, more than 40% of participants in the psilocybin group remained smoke-free, compared with about 10% of those using nicotine patches.

The findings add to a growing body of research suggesting that psychedelic-assisted therapy could become a powerful new tool for treating addiction. Check it out: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-10/more-smokers-quit-with-psychedelics-than-a-nicotine-patch-study-shows

Xenon Pharmaceuticals reported encouraging results from a late-stage clinical trial of their experimental epilepsy drug azetukalner. In the company’s Phase 3 X-TOLE2 study, the treatment significantly reduced the frequency of focal onset seizures compared with placebo, successfully meeting the trial’s primary goal.

Patients receiving the higher 25-milligram dose experienced about a 53.2% median reduction in monthly seizures, while the placebo group saw roughly a 10.4% reduction, demonstrating a strong placebo-adjusted treatment effect. 

Based on these results, Xenon plans to submit the drug for regulatory approval in 2026, potentially bringing a new treatment option to patients with focal onset seizures, a common form of epilepsy. Here’s more: https://investor.xenon-pharma.com/news-releases/news-release-details/xenon-announces-positive-topline-data-phase-3-x-tole2-study

Red Light Holland announced that it signed a definitive agreement with Filament Health aimed at expanding its platform for natural psychedelic drug development.

Under the agreement, the two companies plan to combine Filament’s expertise in developing naturally derived psychedelic drug candidates with Red Light Holland’s experience in cultivation, consumer products, and microdosing distribution. The collaboration is intended to accelerate research and development around natural psilocybin formulations and microdosing applications. Check it out: https://jlsfund.substack.com/p/red-light-holland-expands-its-psilocybin

Did you know that epilepsy has been documented for more than 3,000 years? 

The earliest detailed descriptions appear in a Babylonian medical text called the Sakikku, written around 1050 BC, where seizures were referred to as the “falling sickness.” Ancient physicians could identify different types of seizures, but they believed each one was caused by different spirits or supernatural forces.

 Other early medical traditions in India and China around 400 BC also described seizures involving convulsions and loss of consciousness, with some physicians beginning to suspect the condition originated in the brain. And in ancient Greece, epilepsy became known as the “sacred disease,” because many believed it was sent by the gods. Here’s more: https://www.epsyhealth.com/seizure-epilepsy-blog/the-history-of-epilepsy-the-ancient-world