Insurance-backed MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD
Tracks
Ballroom 1 - In-Person & Virtual via OnAIR
| Wednesday, June 24, 2026 |
| 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM |
Overview
Dr Michael Winlo, Emyria Limtied
Presenter
Dr Michael Winlo
Chief Scientific Officer
Emyria Limtied
Insurance-backed MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD
Presentation Overview
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains one of the most debilitating mental health conditions, with limited effectiveness of current therapies. Australia is uniquely positioned as the first country to permit the prescription of MDMA-Assisted Therapy (MDMA-AT) under a regulated Authorised Prescriber pathway. Emyria is delivering MDMA-AT at scale, supported by Medibank, making this therapy accessible to eligible patients.
In this presentation, I will share long-term outcome data from more than 50 patients treated at Emyria’s national network of specialist centres. These real-world data provide compelling insights into the safety, durability of symptom improvement, functional recovery, and quality of life following MDMA-AT. Importantly, the cohort includes patients with complex trauma histories, offering valuable lessons on both clinical impact and implementation challenges.
Alongside these outcomes, I will discuss Emyria’s internal research programs designed to improve how patients are supported before, during, and after therapy. This includes efforts to refine patient selection criteria, strengthen preparation protocols, develop predictive models of treatment response, and optimise follow-up care to sustain improvements. By integrating clinical insights with structured research, Emyria aims to continuously enhance treatment safety, accessibility, and scalability.
This talk will highlight the critical role of real-world evidence in complementing traditional clinical trials, while also underscoring the need for rigorous systems of care to responsibly deliver psychedelic-assisted therapies. With the support of partners, including Medibank, and a growing national footprint, Emyria is helping to set new standards for evidence-based, patient-centred innovation in mental health.
Three Key Learnings
1. Durable Outcomes: MDMA-AT delivered in real-world clinical settings can produce sustained symptom reduction and functional recovery in patients with complex trauma histories.
2. The Patient Journey Matters: Careful attention to patient selection, preparation, and follow-up is critical to maximise safety, predict response, and maintain long-term benefit.
3. Real-World Evidence is Essential: Large-scale, payer-supported programs provide unique data that complement traditional trials and help set new standards for the safe and scalable delivery of psychedelic-assisted therapies.
In this presentation, I will share long-term outcome data from more than 50 patients treated at Emyria’s national network of specialist centres. These real-world data provide compelling insights into the safety, durability of symptom improvement, functional recovery, and quality of life following MDMA-AT. Importantly, the cohort includes patients with complex trauma histories, offering valuable lessons on both clinical impact and implementation challenges.
Alongside these outcomes, I will discuss Emyria’s internal research programs designed to improve how patients are supported before, during, and after therapy. This includes efforts to refine patient selection criteria, strengthen preparation protocols, develop predictive models of treatment response, and optimise follow-up care to sustain improvements. By integrating clinical insights with structured research, Emyria aims to continuously enhance treatment safety, accessibility, and scalability.
This talk will highlight the critical role of real-world evidence in complementing traditional clinical trials, while also underscoring the need for rigorous systems of care to responsibly deliver psychedelic-assisted therapies. With the support of partners, including Medibank, and a growing national footprint, Emyria is helping to set new standards for evidence-based, patient-centred innovation in mental health.
Three Key Learnings
1. Durable Outcomes: MDMA-AT delivered in real-world clinical settings can produce sustained symptom reduction and functional recovery in patients with complex trauma histories.
2. The Patient Journey Matters: Careful attention to patient selection, preparation, and follow-up is critical to maximise safety, predict response, and maintain long-term benefit.
3. Real-World Evidence is Essential: Large-scale, payer-supported programs provide unique data that complement traditional trials and help set new standards for the safe and scalable delivery of psychedelic-assisted therapies.
Biography
Dr. Michael Winlo is Chief Scientific Officer at Emyria Limited (ASX:EMD), a mental health services company pioneering innovative treatments for PTSD and depression. A medical doctor with an MBA from Stanford, Michael founded Emyria’s MDMA-Assisted Therapy (MDMA-AT) program for PTSD, the first and only program in Australia to receive funding support from Medibank, reducing barriers to care. Under his leadership, Emyria has built a national network of specialist treatment centres, uniquely positioned to gather real-world evidence and patient outcomes at scale. Michael’s work focuses on translating breakthrough science into safe, accessible, and effective therapies.
