Psilocybin clinical trials in the UK: what is recruiting and how to join
The short answer. In the UK, psilocybin is only given legally inside approved research, so a clinical trial is the only route to it (UK Parliament, Nov 2025). As of 23 October 2026, we found 4 psilocybin or psilocin trials with UK sites recruiting. They are listed below, each with its registry record.
Being listed here is not a recommendation. Each study team decides who can take part.
Recruiting UK psilocybin trials
Generated from the Psyche Insights directory, which draws on ClinicalTrials.gov and ISRCTN. Locations are the UK sites in the registry. Some may not be open yet.
A Study of a Deuterated Psilocin Analog (CYB003) in Humans With Major Depressive Disorder
- Condition
- Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Depression in Adults, Depression - Major Depressive Disorder
- Sponsor
- Cybin IRL Limited
- Phase
- Phase 3
- UK locations
- Cambridge, Doncaster, Edinburgh, Glasgow (listed sites; the registry shows which are open). Also in: Australia, Czechia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Poland, United States.
- Status
- Recruiting (ClinicalTrials.gov)
- Registry record
- ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06793397
- Last checked
- 23 October 2026
PsiloIMAGINE: A Psychedelic-augmented Mental Imagery-based Intervention for Young People With Self-harm
- Condition
- Self Harm
- Sponsor
- Imperial College London
- Phase
- Early phase 1
- UK locations
- London (listed sites; the registry shows which are open).
- Status
- Recruiting (ClinicalTrials.gov)
- Registry record
- ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06798636
- Last checked
- 23 October 2026
PsilOpioid: psilocybin therapy in opioid use disorder
- Condition
- Opioid use disorder
- Sponsor
- Imperial College London (NIHR Imperial Clinical Research Facility)
- UK locations
- London (listed sites; the registry shows which are open).
- Status
- Recruitment window open (ISRCTN)
- Registry record
- ISRCTN ISRCTN10232579
- Last checked
- 23 October 2026
Sleep Blinding Psilocybin: feasibility study
- Condition
- Depression
- Sponsor
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- UK locations
- London, Beckenham, Camberwell (listed sites; the registry shows which are open).
- Status
- Recruitment window open (ISRCTN)
- Registry record
- ISRCTN ISRCTN10648713
- Last checked
- 23 October 2026
Other psychedelic-related trials recruiting in the UK
These UK trials study ketamine, which is a different drug from psilocybin and is controlled under different rules (see our UK legal guide).
Ketamine for depression with anorexia nervosa (feasibility RCT)
- Condition
- Depression with anorexia nervosa
- Sponsor
- King's College London
- UK locations
- London (listed sites; the registry shows which are open).
- Status
- Recruitment window open (ISRCTN)
- Registry record
- ISRCTN ISRCTN26462355
- Last checked
- 23 October 2026
MORE-KARE: ketamine-assisted psychological therapy to reduce alcohol relapse
- Condition
- Severe alcohol use disorder
- Sponsor
- University of Exeter (multi-centre NHS sites)
- UK locations
- Exeter, London, Oxford, Chertsey (listed sites; the registry shows which are open).
- Status
- Recruitment window open (ISRCTN)
- Registry record
- ISRCTN ISRCTN85955128
- Last checked
- 23 October 2026
How to find and join a UK trial
- Search the registries. NIHR Be Part of Research brings together studies from several UK registers and lets you register interest. Full records are on ISRCTN and ClinicalTrials.gov. The Health Research Authority asks UK trial sponsors to register on one of these two, and both feed into Be Part of Research (HRA).
- Read who can take part. Each record lists the condition, age range and other criteria. For example, when we checked on 23 October 2026, PsiloIMAGINE (NCT06798636) was recruiting people aged 16 to 25.
- Contact the study team on the record. They screen people for eligibility. You can also ask your doctor or a patient organisation about trials you may be eligible for (NHS website).
- Ask questions before you agree. The NHS lists useful questions, for example what happens if you leave early. It also says some trials pay and some only cover travel (NHS website).
Trials that test a medicine need MHRA authorisation and a research ethics review. Updated UK clinical trials regulations came into force on 28 April 2026 (MHRA). Psilocybin research also needs a Home Office controlled drugs licence (UK Parliament).
Why psilocybin is only available in trials in the UK
Psilocin, and any fungus that contains psilocin or an ester of it (which covers psilocybin), is a Class A drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and sits in Schedule 1 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. The government says Schedule 1 is typically used for drugs with no established medical use in the UK. It also says no psilocybin-based medicine has yet been granted an MHRA marketing authorisation (written answer, 5 Nov 2025). Read the full picture in our guide: Is psychedelic therapy legal in the UK?
Recent UK results
In August 2026, King's College London and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust published the NIHR-funded PsiDeR trial in Nature Medicine. It randomised 60 people with treatment-resistant depression to a single 25 mg dose of psilocybin or placebo, both with psychological support. The university reported that the psilocybin group improved far more than the placebo group at six weeks (KCL). The government cited the trial in a written answer on 19 October 2026 (DHSC). This is one small trial and does not make psilocybin an approved treatment. See the PsiDeR row in our approval tracker.
The deuterated psilocin trial listed above (CYB003, now HLP003) is a Phase 3 programme. Its regulatory status is tracked in the HLP003 tracker row. For the most advanced psilocybin medicine, see COMP360.
UK psychedelic research centres
Many UK trials are run by university groups. Our directory lists Imperial College London: Centre for Psychedelic Research, King's College London: Psychoactive Trials Group, University of Exeter: Psychedelic Interdisciplinary Centre (EPIC). Their pages often list current studies.
Questions and answers
Are there psilocybin trials in the UK in 2026?
Yes. As of 23 October 2026, our check of public registries found 4 psilocybin or psilocin trials with UK sites marked as recruiting. Conditions studied include depression, major depressive disorder (mdd), opioid use disorder, self harm. Recruitment can open or close at any time, so check each registry record.
How do I join a psilocybin trial in the UK?
Find a trial on NIHR Be Part of Research, ISRCTN or ClinicalTrials.gov, read who can take part, then contact the study team named on the registry record. The study team decides who is eligible. The NHS website suggests you can also ask your doctor or a patient organisation about trials.
Can I get psilocybin therapy on the NHS?
Not as a routine treatment. Psilocybin is a Schedule 1 controlled drug and no psilocybin medicine has an MHRA marketing authorisation, so in the UK it is only given in approved research. Some trials run at NHS sites.
Are UK psilocybin trials paid?
It depends on the trial. The NHS website says some trials offer payment and some only cover travel expenses. The study team can tell you before you agree to take part.
Can I leave a trial once I have joined?
Yes. The NHS website says you can choose to leave a trial at any point without giving a reason and without it affecting the care you receive.
How often is this list updated?
We rebuild this page from our directory data every week and record the date each trial was last checked. Each listing links to its registry record.
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Hand-written facts and links checked 23 October 2026. Trial records checked on the dates shown.
- UK Parliament written answer 85461 (Home Office, 5 November 2025). https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-10-27/85461
- Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, Schedule 2 (controlled drugs by class). https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/38/schedule/2
- Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, Schedule 1. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2001/3998/schedule/1
- MHRA: Medicines clinical trials hub (GOV.UK). https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/medicines-clinical-trials
- Health Research Authority: research registration and project identifiers. https://www.hra.nhs.uk/planning-and-improving-research/research-planning/research-registration-research-project-identifiers/
- NHS website: clinical trials. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/clinical-trials/
- NIHR Be Part of Research. https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/
- ISRCTN registry. https://www.isrctn.com/
- ClinicalTrials.gov. https://clinicaltrials.gov/
- King's College London news: PsiDeR trial results (August 2026). https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/promising-results-from-first-publicly-funded-uk-randomised-trial-of-psilocybin-for-depression
- UK Parliament written answer 31239 (Department of Health and Social Care, 19 October 2026). https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-10-09/31239