VA starts a 240-veteran psilocybin trial, with no site in Nevada

What is the PIVOT trial?

PIVOT, registered as NCT07226232, is a randomized trial of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression in U.S. military veterans, with and without PTSD, sponsored by the VA Office of Research and Development. The registry lists an actual start date of Aug. 3, 2026, a target of 240 participants and five sites, none of them in Nevada.¹

The registry lists it as Phase 3 and recruiting (record verified October 2026). Only the pharmacist knows who is in which group; participants, care providers, investigators and outcome assessors are all masked. The primary outcome is depression severity on the MADRS scale, with a time frame of two weeks, and longer-term follow-up runs over six months. Primary completion is estimated for Dec. 2, 2030 and study completion for June 30, 2031. The study drug is listed as psilocybin, with COMP360 given as its other name.¹

Is there a placebo group?

No. The registry calls the control arm a "psilocybin comparator dose," and the other arm a "psilocybin intervention dose." Everyone has three preparation visits with a psychological support facilitator. At the first of two sessions, participants are randomly assigned one of two doses without knowing which; a month later, everyone receives the same dose at the second session.¹

Some coverage described the control as a placebo: Military Times reported that veterans would get psilocybin "or a placebo" at the first session.² The registry doesn't use that word. Comparing two active doses is one of the approaches the FDA's final trial guidance mentions for studies where a placebo is easy to spot.³

Who can join, and where?

The registry's criteria include being a U.S. military veteran aged 18 to 75 who speaks English, being in a current major depressive episode, and not having responded to at least two adequate antidepressant treatments. Participants need a responsible adult to drive them home or to their lodging after each psilocybin session. Exclusions include a personal history of bipolar or psychotic disorders, a first-degree relative with those conditions, recent psychiatric hospitalization and some recent substance use disorders.¹

The five sites are VA facilities in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Portland, Oregon; Philadelphia; and Seattle.¹ A second VA psilocybin study, NCT07895134, is listed as not yet recruiting, with an estimated start of Jan. 1, 2027 and planned sites at VA facilities in San Diego, San Francisco, Minneapolis and Salt Lake City. It has no Nevada site either.⁴ The one active trial with a Las Vegas site that tests psilocybin itself is a Compass Pathways study for PTSD, not a VA study.⁵ Our therapy and trials guide lists Nevada and nearby trials.

What did the VA and HHS agree in July?

On July 13, 2026 the VA and HHS signed a memorandum of understanding to carry out Executive Order 14401. The VA says the agreement covers raising clinical trial participation, training therapists, nurses and doctors who work on these trials, collecting and sharing data on effectiveness, safety and cost, sharing data with the FDA, and preparing educational materials for patients. The VA says it is involved in 20 active clinical trials of psychedelic therapies, supported by its Office of Research and Development and more than $23 million in outside funding.⁶ A related agreement among HHS, the FDA and the VA on exchanging information, also signed July 13, runs for five years.⁷

What does it mean for veterans in Nevada?

For now, joining a VA psilocybin study means meeting a trial's criteria and traveling to one of its listed sites outside the state. The VA says it will consider clinical use of these therapies outside research only after FDA approval, and it "strongly discourages self-medicating."⁶ Outside a trial, psilocybin is a Schedule I drug in Nevada (NAC 453.510).⁸

The Veterans Crisis Line is reached by calling 988 and pressing 1, or by texting 838255.⁶ Our help page lists other Nevada crisis lines.