Helus Pharma
Corporate brand
UnclaimedCanadian clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing psychedelic-derived medicines.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Helus Pharma is a Canadian clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing psychedelic-derived medicines for psychiatric and neurological conditions. The company was formerly known as Cybin and was also referred to as Cybin IRL. Its research strategy centers on chemically modified psychedelic compounds, including deuterated versions of psilocin and dimethyltryptamine (DMT), intended to improve pharmacokinetics, dosing control, treatment duration, and clinical usability relative to earlier psychedelic formulations. The company emerged as one of the more prominent commercial developers in the psychedelic-medicine field during the early 2020s. Its pipeline has included psilocybin, deupsilocin, deudimethyltryptamine, and other investigational compounds. Rather than positioning psychedelic substances primarily as consumer wellness products, Helus has pursued regulated prescription medicines administered in clinical settings and studied as adjuncts to psychotherapy or other structured treatment protocols. A major element of its development platform is deupsilocin, also known as HLP003 and formerly CYB003. This is a deuterated oral formulation of psilocin, the active metabolite of psilocybin. Because it is designed to bypass the initial conversion of psilocybin into psilocin, the company has reported greater exposure at equivalent doses. The compound has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration Breakthrough Therapy Designation for adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder. By early 2026, it had advanced into the Phase 3 PARADIGM program, comprising APPROACH, EMBRACE, and the long-term EXTEND study. This placed the program among the latest-stage psychedelic-drug development efforts, alongside Compass Pathways' COMP360 program. The company has also developed HLP004, formerly CYB004, a deuterated intramuscular DMT formulation being investigated for generalized anxiety disorder. The design seeks to extend the short action of conventional DMT while allowing a treatment session and post-dose monitoring period that may be more practical than intravenous administration. Other pipeline assets have included HLP001, HLP002, HLP005, HLP006, and CYB210010, although some programs have been discontinued, renamed, or remained at earlier development stages. Helus expanded its capabilities through acquisitions. In 2020 it acquired Adelia Therapeutics, a psychedelic pharmaceutical company. In late 2023 it acquired Small Pharma, which had been developing DMT-related programs including SPL026 and SPL028. These transactions broadened Helus's scientific assets and added drug-discovery and clinical-development expertise. Doug Drysdale served as chief executive officer from 2020 through 2025. By early 2026, the leadership structure identified Michael Cola as chief executive officer and Eric So as executive chairman and co-founder, with senior roles held by executives including Amir Inamdar, Alex Nivorozhkin, Aaron Bartlone, George Tziras, and Paul Glavine. The company changed its name from Cybin to Helus Pharma in December 2025. Its business remains focused on advancing investigational medicines through clinical development and, subject to regulatory approval, eventual commercialization.
History
Helus Pharma developed from the company formerly known as Cybin, a Canadian biotechnology and pharmaceutical enterprise established to research psychedelic compounds as potential medicines. During the early 2020s, the company pursued a portfolio approach that combined drug discovery, medicinal chemistry, clinical pharmacology, and clinical trials in psychiatric indications. Its central objective was to move psychedelic substances from experimental or traditional-use contexts into standardized pharmaceutical products that could be administered under medical supervision. The company expanded its development platform through corporate acquisitions. In 2020, it acquired Adelia Therapeutics, adding psychedelic-drug research capabilities and related intellectual property. In late 2023, it acquired Small Pharma, another psychedelic-medicine developer. Small Pharma had been advancing DMT-related candidates including SPL026 and SPL028. The transaction broadened the combined organization's pipeline and reinforced its emphasis on short-acting or modified psychedelic compounds intended to fit within practical clinical treatment sessions. Cybin's pipeline included several internally designated candidates. CYB001, later identified as HLP001, represented a psilocybin program. CYB002, later HLP002, was another development program that was subsequently discontinued. The most strategically important asset became CYB003, later HLP003, also called deupsilocin or psilocin-d10. This compound is a deuterated oral form of psilocin. Deuterium substitution was intended to alter the compound's metabolic and pharmacokinetic behavior, while direct delivery of psilocin was intended to avoid the dephosphorylation step required to convert psilocybin into its active metabolite. Clinical work on deupsilocin focused on major depressive disorder as an adjunctive treatment. The company reported encouraging Phase 2 results, including substantial reductions in depression scores and durable response and remission measures during follow-up. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted the program Breakthrough Therapy Designation. By January 2025, the asset had become one of the few psychedelic programs to reach Phase 3 development. The later PARADIGM program included APPROACH, EMBRACE, and EXTEND studies designed to evaluate efficacy, dosing, and longer-term durability or redosing. Another major asset was CYB004, later HLP004, a deuterated form of DMT administered intramuscularly. The program was directed toward generalized anxiety disorder. Its development rationale was that deuteration could lengthen DMT's effect profile compared with conventional intravenous DMT, while intramuscular dosing could support a more manageable clinical workflow. In early 2026, the company reported positive topline Phase 2 findings, describing improvements in Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale scores and follow-up response and remission outcomes after a treatment cycle. Additional candidates included HLP005, formerly CYB005, described as a deuterated phenethylamine derivative; HLP006, formerly CYB006; and CYB210010, also described as 2C-T-TFM. These assets occupied earlier or less fully disclosed stages of development than HLP003 and HLP004. The company therefore combined a lead late-stage depression program with an earlier pipeline of modified psychedelic compounds. Doug Drysdale led the company as chief executive officer from 2020 to 2025. By early 2026, Michael Cola was chief executive officer and Eric So served as executive chairman and co-founder. The leadership team also included medical, scientific, operating, business, and growth executives. Its scientific advisory board included figures associated with psychiatry, pharmaceutical regulation, drug discovery, and biotechnology, including Robert Langer, Maurizio Fava, Thomas Laughren, Freda Lewis-Hall, Steve Brannan, and Andrew J. Cutler. In December 2025, the company changed its name from Cybin to Helus Pharma. The rebranding marked the current corporate identity while preserving the company's focus on clinical-stage psychedelic-derived medicines. Like other development-stage pharmaceutical companies, Helus remains dependent on clinical results, regulatory review, manufacturing readiness, and eventual market authorization before any investigational candidate can become an approved commercial product.
- 2026
Phase 2 topline results for HLP004
[1]The company reported positive topline Phase 2 findings for deudimethyltryptamine in generalized anxiety disorder.
- 2025
Deupsilocin reaches Phase 3
[1]HLP003, formerly CYB003, entered Phase 3 development for adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder.
- 2025
Corporate rebranding
[1]The company changed its name from Cybin to Helus Pharma in December.
- 2023
Small Pharma acquisition
[1]The company acquired Small Pharma, adding DMT-related development programs including SPL026 and SPL028.
- 2020
Adelia Therapeutics acquisition
[1]The company acquired psychedelic pharmaceutical developer Adelia Therapeutics.
Products and positioning
A clinical-stage pharmaceutical developer applying medicinal chemistry, including deuteration, to psychedelic compounds in pursuit of scalable prescription treatments for depression and anxiety disorders.
Investigational psychedelic medicine
HLP003
HLP003, formerly CYB003, is deupsilocin, a deuterated oral formulation of psilocin. Psilocin is the active metabolite of psilocybin. The formulation is intended to bypass psilocybin's initial conversion step and provide a more efficient and controllable exposure profile. It is being developed as an adjunctive treatment for major depressive disorder and has received FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation. The Phase 3 PARADIGM program includes efficacy, dose-comparison, and longer-term extension studies.
Investigational psychedelic medicine
HLP004
HLP004, formerly CYB004, is deudimethyltryptamine, a deuterated DMT formulation administered intramuscularly. It is being developed for generalized anxiety disorder. The program is designed to extend DMT's effects relative to conventional intravenous administration while supporting a treatment session with a potentially practical monitoring and discharge period. The company has reported Phase 2 results for a two-dose treatment cycle.
Investigational psilocybin medicine
HLP001
HLP001, formerly CYB001, is a psilocybin development program. It forms part of the company's earlier psychedelic-medicine portfolio, although the available reference material does not provide a current clinical status or detailed indication.
Investigational psychedelic medicine
HLP002
HLP002, formerly CYB002, was an investigational program in the company's earlier pipeline. The program was subsequently discontinued.
Investigational psychedelic medicine
HLP005
HLP005, formerly CYB005, is described as a deuterated phenethylamine derivative. The available material identifies it as a pipeline candidate but does not establish a current indication, development phase, or commercial status.
Investigational psychedelic medicine
HLP006
HLP006, formerly CYB006, is an investigational pipeline compound. Publicly available reference material does not provide sufficient detail on its current indication or clinical stage.
Investigational psychedelic medicine
CYB210010
CYB210010, also identified as 2C-T-TFM, is an investigational psychedelic compound associated with the company's research portfolio. No current clinical development status is established in the supplied material.
Brand decisions
2025
Adoption of the Helus Pharma nameStrategyBackground
The company had operated under the Cybin identity while developing psychedelic-derived medicines.
Action taken
It changed its corporate name to Helus Pharma in December 2025.
Aftermath
Helus Pharma became the company's current public identity.
2025
Deupsilocin enters Phase 3Generation changeBackground
Phase 2 findings supported continued development of HLP003 for major depressive disorder.
Action taken
The company advanced HLP003 into the PARADIGM Phase 3 program.
Aftermath
The program became one of the few psychedelic-drug programs to reach late-stage clinical development.
2023
Acquisition of Small PharmaM&ABackground
Small Pharma was developing DMT-related candidates and represented a complementary psychedelic-medicine platform.
Action taken
The company acquired Small Pharma in late 2023.
Aftermath
The acquisition brought programs including SPL026 and SPL028 into the combined development portfolio.
2020
Acquisition of Adelia TherapeuticsM&ABackground
The company sought to expand its psychedelic-drug discovery and development capabilities.
Action taken
It acquired Adelia Therapeutics.
Aftermath
The transaction added research assets and expertise to the company's psychedelic pharmaceutical platform.
Recent events
Reported
Helus Pharma appoints Dr. Suresh Durgam to Board of Directors[3]
Helus Pharma Inc. (Nasdaq: HELP), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, announced on October 15, 2026 the appointment of Suresh Durgam, M.D., to its Board of Directors. Durgam, a CNS drug-development executive and former Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Intra-Cellular Therapies, previously served on Helus Pharma's Scientific Advisory Board. The appointment is subject to approval of Cboe Canada.
Reported
Cybin partners with Kernel to use Flow technology in clinical work[4]
Cybin announced an agreement with Kernel to use Kernel's Flow neuroimaging technology for Cybin's upcoming sponsored clinical work.
Reported
Cybin announces Clarmin Explorations' first-quarter financial results[5]
Cybin announced the unaudited financial results of Clarmin Explorations Inc. (now Cybin Inc.) for the three-month period ended October 31, 2020.
Sources5 sources
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