Episode Transcript
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Andrew Musgrave (00:02):
Hello and
welcome to another episode of
ASX Briefs, where we delvecutting-edge the biotechnology
and healthcare innovation.
I'm your host, Andrew Musgrave,and today we have the pleasure
of speaking with Dr MichaelWinlo, CEO of Emyria Limited, a
clinical stage biotech companythat has been making headlines
with its groundbreaking work inpsychedelic-assisted therapies
(00:23):
and MDMA drug discovery programs.
Thanks for joining us today,Michael, and welcome to ASX
Briefs.
Michael Winlo (00:30):
Thanks for having
me, Andrew.
Pleasure to be here.
Andrew Musgrave (00:32):
Okay, to kick
things off, can you just give
the listeners a brief overviewof who Emyria is?
Michael Winlo (00:37):
Yeah, so Emyria
is a public company.
We're tackling a globalchallenge, which is the rising
incidence of major mental healthdisorders, and we do that
through a pretty uniquecombination.
We have two halves to ourbusiness.
On one half, we own and operatestate-of-the-art clinical
facilities where we provide newtreatments and evaluate new
treatments for major mentalhealth diseases.
(00:59):
We provide treatments likeMDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD,
for example, treatments likeMDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD,
for example.
On the other half of ourbusiness, we take those data and
revenues from the clinicalservices, and we drive an
innovative pipeline agenda whichis involved in the development
and discovery of new drugtreatments, as well as improving
those care models that weoperate in our clinics.
Andrew Musgrave (01:18):
Now, recently,
Emyria has featured prominently
in the media, particularlyregarding your research on PTSD
treatments.
Michael Winlo (01:29):
Can you discuss
the impact this coverage has had
on the company and the public'sunderstanding of your work.
Yeah well, we're recording this,April 17, and people have been
following the news.
We've seen, obviously, somehorrifying events over in Sydney
, and I think mental health andtrauma is on top of everyone's
minds, and so we know we're inan area of great unmet.
Need we know, with the recentmedia coverage has clarified for
(01:51):
you know, for the public thatyou know PTSD affects nearly a
million Australians.
A large number of thosepatients you know won't respond
to current treatments and wedesperately need new options for
those patients, particularlythose who are responding to
standard care.
And so what's got peopleinterested is the brand new
world of MDMA-assisted therapy,which is a co-administration of
(02:11):
a potent medication alongsidesupportive therapy, and that's
an area of treatment that wespecialize in, both in the
research and the provision ofthat treatment.
And the media coverage hasreally taken a big interest
because we're one of only veryfew centres nationally, which
means one of only very fewservices globally that can
legally provide these treatmentsto patients in need.
(02:32):
And I think that's goteveryone's attention because
this represents a new paradigmof mental health treatment and
we're really privileged to be apart of it.
Andrew Musgrave (02:40):
And I think,
and just on that, the
MDMA-assisted therapy.
Can you just talk through thescientific basis behind it?
Michael Winlo (02:47):
Yeah, absolutely
so.
People may know of MDMA asecstasy, as a street drug.
Now it should be clear that theMDMA we use is a medical-grade
version, so it's highly purifiedand meets pharmaceutical
standards.
But what this treatment is isreally a 12 to 16-week program
of intensive psychotherapy.
But what this treatment is isreally a 12 to 16 week program
(03:07):
of intensive psychotherapy whereon three occasions, roughly a
month apart, we co-administerMDMA with the patient, and what
this does is it creates anintensive experience for the
patient.
MDMA has these unique qualitiesin that it reduces fear and
anxiety, it allows people tobuild trust and they can
approach challenging memories inthe case of PTSD, say, very
(03:29):
difficult incidences of theirpast in a much more relaxed and
objective way, and what thatallows is for the psychotherapy
to land and become moreeffective.
And so we've based our modelbased off some really compelling
research that's been completedin the United States.
Two phase three trials have nowfinished, and we know that
there are groups in Americalooking for FDA approval for
this treatment.
(03:50):
We expect to have a readout ofthat by the end of the year, and
the data is so compelling it'sactually persuaded our own TGA
in Australia to create legalaccess pathways for this
treatment.
So one thing it requires areally careful coordination of
therapists and specialists,dedicated facilities.
One has to have access to themedication and understand how to
(04:12):
deliver complex care models.
But we have been reallyencouraged by the early results
we're seeing and what we hope toshow is that we can meet some
of the great clinical outcomesthat have been shown overseas
and therefore make a hugepositive impact for patients
struggling with PTSD.
And just at one final point,some of the great clinical
outcomes that have been shownoverseas and therefore make a
huge positive impact forpatients struggling with PTSD.
And just at one final point,some of the data we're seeing is
up to 70% of patients no longermeeting the diagnostic criteria
(04:37):
for PTSD after three months oftreatment, which is a remarkable
outcome.
And if we get anywhere close tothat in the real world, we'll
have a really incrediblepromising treatment hopefully
available to patients who needit.
Andrew Musgrave (04:49):
Okay then, and
regarding the collaboration with
Reach Wellness, can you justelaborate on the goals of this
partnership and how it aims tobenefit the first responders?
Michael Winlo (04:58):
Yeah, Reach
Wellness is a special charity.
They're dedicated to thesupport and wellbeing of first
responders.
They have tax deductible giftrecipient status.
They're dedicated to thesupport and well-being of first
responders.
They have tax deductible giftrecipient status.
They're able to fund globalservices and important medical
research, and they've selectedEmyria to provide MDMA-assisted
therapy as part of a studyprogram for first responders.
So, first responders whoqualify for MDMA-assisted
(05:19):
therapy according to the TGAguidelines can apply for
subsidised funding to get accessto this treatment.
This new treatment does not yethave third-party payer coverage
, although I expect that to comesometime this year, so in the
meantime, this REACH WellnessPartnership is a really
important initiative to helpprovide access to first
(05:40):
responders who may benefit fromthis treatment.
Andrew Musgrave (05:42):
Now there's
obviously plenty going on with
the company, and these arereally important areas.
Looking to the future, can yougive us an outline of what
Emiria may look like in the nextsix to 12 months?
Michael Winlo (05:53):
Yeah, absolutely
Well.
We just opened up a brand newdedicated facility for the
delivery and evaluation ofpsychedelic assisted treatments
called the MPAC Centre here inPerth.
We believe this will be aflagship model for how these
treatments can be delivered in acommercially viable way and,
importantly, in a scalable way,and we look to open up multiple
sites around the country as thedemand for these services grow.
(06:15):
So that's really important.
And then, taking all of thoseclinical service revenues and,
importantly, the data we gatherto drive and support our
innovation pipeline of new drugtreatments and care therapies as
well, so a network of clinicalservices providing a wide range
of really important treatmentsfor major mental health
disorders, plus a long-termpipeline of IP-backed drug
(06:35):
development as well.
So, yeah, really exciting work.
It's actually very privilegedand motivating to be part of
this work.
Andrew Musgrave (06:42):
Yeah, well, you
know that's a really good
update on where the company's atObviously plenty of need for
these sort of services.
So thanks for coming on theshow today, michael, and we look
forward for the next updatefrom Emiria in the coming months
.
Michael Winlo (06:55):
I appreciate your
time, andrew, and I would agree
with you.
Yeah, thank you so much, okay,thank you.
Andrew Musgrave (07:01):
That concludes
this episode of ASX Briefs.
Don't forget to subscribe andwe look forward to catching up
on our next episode.