Weeks after asking the Arizona Legislature to fund clinical trials for novel treatment for PTSD, former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema was hired by a Washington, D.C., law firm that represents a company that has researched the therapy.
Sinema, who represented Arizona in the U.S. Senate from 2019 to January 2025, was hired this month by Hogan Lovells. Sinema joined the firm’s Washington office as a senior advisor to help “clients navigate and thrive through regulatory and political change,” according to a press release.
Before joining Hogan Lovells, Sinema appeared at the Arizona Legislature to back House Bill 2871, which would provide state funds to back a study of ibogaine, a psychoactive compound found in an African plant. If signed into law, the legislation would provide a $5 million grant to look into ibogaine’s effectiveness in treating “neurological diseases, including traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.”
Sinema told Arizona lawmakers she asked Rep. Justin Wilmeth (R-Phoenix) to sponsor the bill, because she believes ibogaine can be a more effective alternative to the current group of drugs and therapies available to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.
“I’m here today as a private citizen, not a registered lobbyist, not advocating on behalf of any client,” Sinema told the Senate Appropriations Committee on March 11. “I’m here because this is an issue I care very personally about.”
A Stanford Medicine study published last year concluded that the medicine “effectively reduces PTSD, anxiety and depression and improves functioning in veterans with TBI.” But it is currently listed as a Schedule 1 drug by the U.S. government alongside narcotics like heroin, LSD and marijuana, meaning it can’t be used for treatment purposes.
The bill requires the grant recipient to bring $5 million in private funds to the table to match the state, and Sinema committed to raising that money.
But she told lawmakers the $5 million in state funds is needed to spur that private investment. She said the state money would be used to help fund the first phase of clinical trials to begin the process to win FDA approval for ibogaine treatments.
“Unlike most drugs, ibogaine is a naturally-occurring plant that was grown in west Africa, so there’s no major pharma company to bankroll this effort and then make billions of dollars on the back end,” Sinema told lawmakers.
However, federal records show that a number of companies have filed for patents for ibogaine-related treatments. And an FDA database shows there are at least five completed or ongoing clinical trials studying ibogaine’s effectiveness in treating drug addiction, alcoholism and head injuries.
That includes a phase 1 clinical trial sponsored by MindMed, a New York-based biopharmaceutical company. According to MindMed, it studied the use of an ibogaine derivative, named MM110, to treat opioid withdrawal.
According to a press release, MindMed is represented by Hogan Lovells, the firm that hired Sinema.
MindMed completed its phase one ibogaine study in 2021 but announced it was “shelving” the drug in 2022 until it could find additional funding or partners for its research.
“We suspended our MM110 program and determined that any further clinical development of MM110 will be subject to the receipt of additional non-dilutive capital and/or collaborations with third parties,” according to a MindMed filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, MindMed also holds patents for versions of the ibogaine derivative, 18-methoxycoronaridine, to treat opioid addiction and obesity. The company also holds a patent for “a system for monitoring patients during consciousness-altering therapeutic treatments,” including ibogaine.
MindMed did not respond to a request to comment.
Sinema maintained that her advocacy for ibogaine research has no connection to her new position with Hogan Lovell.
“I have provided pro bono assistance in the drafting of a bill currently before the Arizona legislature that would provide a $5 million grant to support clinical trials involving the use of ibogaine for TBI, PTSD and other neurological disorders,” Sinema said in a statement. “My work on this project took place before any discussions occurred regarding joining Hogan Lovells. The bill is not related to MindMed or its pipeline. MindMed is not exploring the use of ibogaine.”
Sinema said she has not spoken with MindMed representatives since December, months before she joined Hogan Lovells.
Sinema said she has been studying ibogaine for two years after learning about it from veterans who received the treatment in Mexico, where the drug is legal. Some of those veterans testified before the Legislature, saying it changed their lives.
“You’re staring at someone who got a second chance in life because of that medicine,” said John Sodden, who suffered multiple injuries while an Army Ranger and experienced short term memory loss, migraines and mood swings while transitioning out of the military.
Sinema told lawmakers that the grant, which would be administered through the Arizona Department of Health Services, could only be awarded to a qualified neurological institute in Arizona.
“There are three to four that qualify to apply for that,” Sinema said.
The bill requires that the grant recipient has “a history of proven research and treatment of neurological diseases,” and “the ability to facilitate pioneering research and innovation in diagnosis and treatment of neurological condition.” It also requires the recipient to have a neurosurgery program with the required facilities and qualified staff needed to conduct the trial.
But the bill does not state the institute has to be located in Arizona.
Wilmeth, the Arizona state representative who sponsored the bill at Sinema’s behest, said he had no knowledge of potential connections between Sinema and companies engaged in ibogaine research.
Wilmeth, whose brother is a military veteran, said he agreed to sponsor the bill because he is passionate about veterans issues.
“I do think it's going to impact the lives of our veterans,” Wilmeth said.
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