Drug

Lysergic Acid Diethylamide

In clinical development

Actively researchedEarly-to-mid developmentCooling momentum

Also known as (+)-LSD, D-lysergic acid diethylamide, Diethylamid kyseliny lysergove, LSD+8 more

(+)-LSD, D-lysergic acid diethylamide, Diethylamid kyseliny lysergove, LSD, LSD 25, Lysergide, Lysergidum, Lysergsäurediethylamid, Lysergsäurediäthylamid, N,N-diethyl-(+)-lysergamide, N,N-diethyl-D-lysergamide, N,N-diethyllysergamide.

RxNorm6534 ChEMBLCHEMBL263881UNII8NA5SWF92O

Research papers

Active clinical trials

Latest activity

beta

Recent clinical, regulatory, research and industry developments relating to this drug.

Direct Comparison of Altered States of Consciousness Induced by LSD, Psilocybin, and DMT in a Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Cross-over Trial in Healthy Participants (LPD-Study)

Clinical trial2026-08-01Primary completion · ClinicalTrials.gov

STAT+: Definium LSD therapy helped patients with major depression in late-stage trial

Clinical trial2026-06-22Trial news · STAT News

Definium’s LSD formula produces ‘best data ever seen’ in a pivotal depression trial, CEO says

Clinical trial2026-06-21Trial news · Fierce Biotech

Drug Effects on Mood and Behavior - Expectancy

Clinical trial2026-06-05Completed · ClinicalTrials.gov

Mood Effects of Serotonin Agonists: Depression

Clinical trial2026-06-01Completed · ClinicalTrials.gov

Investigating the Efficacy and Microstructural Plasticity of LSD Treatment in Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Multicenter, Double-blind, Randomized, Active-placebo-controlled Phase II Neuroimaging Study.

Clinical trial2026-04-29Results expected Q4 2028 · ClinicalTrials.gov

Shortened LSD Intervention for Major Depressive Disorder

Clinical trial2026-04-03Results expected Q3 2027 · ClinicalTrials.gov

Pharmacokinetics of Didehydro-LSD (DDH-LSD) Compared With LSD

Clinical trial2026-03-10Results expected Q3 2028 · ClinicalTrials.gov

Psychological Therapy Quantity and Depressive Symptom Reduction in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Research2026-01-02JAMA network open

Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: Potential Benefits and Challenges in Mental Health Treatment.

Research2025-08-09Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research

Psychedelic-assisted therapy: An overview for the internist.

Research2025-03-03Cleveland Clinic journal of medicine

Rural-urban divide in risk perception of LSD: Implications for psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Research2025-01-01The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association

Profile

Identifiers & mechanism

Canonical identifiers, marketed brand names and mechanism, resolved across RxNorm, ChEMBL and ATC.

Canonical name

Lysergic Acid Diethylamide

Aliases & brands

(+)-LSDD-lysergic acid diethylamideDiethylamid kyseliny lysergoveLSDLSD 25LysergideLysergidumLysergsäurediethylamidLysergsäurediäthylamidN,N-diethyl-(+)-lysergamideN,N-diethyl-D-lysergamideN,N-diethyllysergamide

RxNorm CUI

6534

ChEMBL ID

CHEMBL263881

UNII

8NA5SWF92O

Clinical trials

26 trials

The current development programme across all trial phases — status mix, phase distribution and the late-stage studies shaping the evidence base.

Development programme

CLINICALTRIALS.GOV · LIVE REGISTRY

registered trials across all phases

LATEST COMPLETION 2026

Active studies

Recruiting

Late-stage (III+)

Completed

Discontinued

PHASE DISTRIBUTIONn = 26

Early Phase 17Phase 110Phase 1 / 21Phase 25Phase N / A3

Recent completions

Trials that read out recently, adding to the completed evidence base.

Drug Effects on Mood and Behavior - Expectancy

CompletedPH IUniversity of Chicagon=422026

Mood Effects of Serotonin Agonists: Depression

CompletedPH IUniversity of Chicagon=412026

Effects of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) on Neuroplasticity in Healthy Human Subjects

CompletedPH IUniversity of Fribourgn=452025

Effects of LSD on Perceptual Decision-making in Healthy Subjects

CompletedN/AUniversity Hospital, Basel, Switzerlandn=302025

Effects of Serotonin Transporter Inhibition on the Subjective Response to LSD in Healthy Subjects

CompletedPH IUniversity Hospital, Basel, Switzerlandn=242024

Mood Effects of Serotonin Agonists

CompletedPH IUniversity of Chicagon=802023

Research activity

39 papers

Key research shaping understanding of this drug, combining the latest publications with the most influential evidence.

Publications over time

20142026

Most influential

Safety and efficacy of lysergic acid diethylamide-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with life-threatening diseases.

The Journal of nervous and mental disease · 2014 · 459 cites

Psychedelics and Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy.

The American journal of psychiatry · 2020 · 396 cites

Psychedelics promote plasticity by directly binding to BDNF receptor TrkB.

Nature neuroscience · 2023 · 345 cites

Acute dose-dependent effects of lysergic acid diethylamide in a double-blind placebo-controlled study in healthy subjects.

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2021 · 183 cites

Direct comparison of the acute effects of lysergic acid diethylamide and psilocybin in a double-blind placebo-controlled study in healthy subjects.

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2022 · 146 cites

Hallucinogens in Mental Health: Preclinical and Clinical Studies on LSD, Psilocybin, MDMA, and Ketamine.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2021 · 141 cites

Related diseases

4 conditions

Regulator-approved indications and conditions co-mentioned with this drug across the research literature. Number shows shared papers.

Active research areas

Mental Disorders6 Anxiety Disorders3 Mood Disorders2 Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic2

Related drugs

6 matches

Drugs sharing diseases, protein targets and literature with this one. Ranked by graph evidence (shared targets + diseases weighted above co-mentions).

Psilocybin

Studied across 13 of the same disease areas as Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in the shared literature.

29 shared papers13 shared diseases

N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

Studied across 2 of the same disease areas as Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in the shared literature.

2 shared diseases3 shared papers

Ketamine

Studied across 3 of the same disease areas as Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in the shared literature.

3 shared diseases2 shared papers

Mescaline

Studied across the same disease area as Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in the shared literature.

1 shared disease2 shared papers

Ketanserin

Frequently co-studied with Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in the research literature.

1 shared paper

Volinanserin

Frequently co-studied with Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in the research literature.

1 shared paper

References & data sources

RxNorm (U.S. National Library of Medicine) — drug identity
ChEMBL (EMBL-EBI) & UniProt — pharmacology and targets
Europe PMC — research literature
ClinicalTrials.gov — clinical trials