What happened to UK’s first ketamine-assisted clinic?

Professor David Nutt, scientific advisor to the clinic, said there were not enough private patients to keep the centre open.

Awakn Clinic charged people £6,000 for a course of low-dose treatments alongside talking therapy.

Despite the centre’s “successful rate” at treating long-term depression, the Bristolian psychiatrist said the NHS was not willing to fund the clinic.

He has spent has spent more than five decades studying the impact of various drugs on the brain.

During studies at the University of Bristol and Imperial College London, he discovered that psychedelics switch off the parts of the brain that cause depression.

“A similar clinic has now been opened in London,” he said. “You could call it a national clinic, it has more rooms, so the work is carrying on.”

The London Clinic has been re-branded by a separate company called Klearwell. It offers ketamine-assisted therapy for conditions such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, eating disorders, and drug and alcohol addiction.

Overall, the clinic’s latest data shows 88% of patients see improvement in their mental health, a spokesperson added.

The NHS was approached to comment on this story.