Hillary Campbell and Slates Veazey Quoted in MLex on Psychedelic Drug Development

Bradley attorneys Hillary Campbell and Slates Veazey were quoted in MLex on Eli Lilly's proposed acquisition of AtaiBeckley, a deal valued at as much as $3.8 billion that underscores growing confidence among major pharmaceutical companies that psychedelic therapies could become a significant new source of psychiatric medicines and patent-protected products.

Campbell said the FDA's new guidance on psychedelic drug development, together with a recent executive order aimed at accelerating research and approvals, signals that psychedelic treatments are becoming increasingly accepted.

"The recent executive order on psychedelics, the FDA guidance, to me it is all showing that [psychedelic treatment] is moving more towards the mainstream," said Campbell.

Veazey pointed to one of the biggest challenges facing psychedelic clinical trials: maintaining effective placebo controls.

"The placebo effect – you’re not going to have that in a psychedelic clinical trial," Veazey said. "The people who got the real thing are going to, for sure, know, and that may impact their biases when they're being evaluated or submitting feedback.”

The full article, “In Search of Future Blockbusters, Big Pharma Turns to Psychedelics,” was published by MLex on August 6, 2026. (login required)