Optimi Health Corp.·CSE: OPTI·OTCQX: OPTHF
Princeton, British Columbia
MDMA

A 40-year-old molecule, a new therapeutic pathway.

Why MDMA-assisted therapy is distinct from recreational use, what the pivotal trials showed, and what commercial manufacture requires.

01The moleculeEntactogen class
Skeletal structural formula of mdma
Formula
C₁₁H₁₅NO₂
Molecular weight
193.24 g/mol
IUPAC name
(±)-3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine
  • 1
    Methylenedioxy bridge
    The defining 1,3-dioxole ring; distinguishes MDMA from amphetamine and gives it the entactogen profile.
  • 2
    α-methyl branch
    Stereocenter; R-enantiomer is the predominantly serotonin-releasing isomer.
  • 3
    Secondary amine
    N-methyl substitution; contrasts with the primary amine of MDA.

MDMA — 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine — is an entactogen. Unlike classical psychedelics, it drives large releases of serotonin and oxytocin with comparatively modest perceptual effects. That profile is what makes it a therapy adjunct rather than a recreational echo of psilocybin.

First synthesized in 1912 and popularized therapeutically in the 1970s and 80s, MDMA became Schedule I in the U.S. in 1985. The research restart didn't happen until MAPS's phase-2 PTSD trials began in the early 2000s.

02Research timeline
1912

Synthesized at Merck

Anton Köllisch synthesizes MDMA at Merck in Darmstadt as an intermediate compound. It sees no therapeutic or commercial use for over six decades.

03Clinical evidence
67%
No longer met PTSD criteria
MAPP1 phase-3 MDMA arm at primary endpoint (vs 32% placebo). Source: Mitchell et al., Nature Medicine 2023.
80–180mg
Per-session split dose
MAPP1 protocol: 80 mg + 40 mg supplemental in session 1; 120 mg + 60 mg in sessions 2 and 3.
3
Therapist-assisted sessions
Sessions held four weeks apart; ~12-week treatment course.
04Regulatory posture
Canada

SAP-accessible, GMP supply established.

Health Canada's Special Access Program permits physicians to request MDMA for individual patients. Optimi's Dealer's Licence amendment authorizes commercial manufacture and distribution.

Australia

Authorised Prescriber Scheme, live since 2023.

TGA permits psychiatrists to prescribe MDMA for PTSD. The first national commercial framework for the molecule; Optimi supplies access-program partners.

05Optimi's role

Our first commercial MDMA export — 1,000 GMP-certified 60 mg capsules — left Princeton on February 9, 2026 bound for Australia under the TGA Authorised Prescriber Scheme. Each shipment is a multi-step transaction between the manufacturer, a licensed importer in the destination country, and the authorized prescribing clinician. We manufacture; we do not distribute to patients directly.