TGA Relaxes In-Room Requirements for Authorised Prescriber Sessions

A regulatory update to Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) Authorised Prescriber scheme, reported around early July 2026, changes who must be physically present during MDMA and psilocybin dosing sessions.

What changed

Previously, the authorising psychiatrist was required to be physically present for the entire dosing session. Under the update, a session can now proceed with a single AHPRA-registered health practitioner — a psychologist, GP, mental health nurse, or occupational therapist, for example — in the room, alongside a second staff member. Treatment is also no longer restricted to hospital settings.

Why it matters

Reporting on the change frames it as intended to improve access to treatment in regional, rural, and First Nations communities, where the small number of individually Authorised Prescriber psychiatrists has historically limited access outside major cities.

What hasn’t changed

The underlying Authorised Prescriber scheme itself is unchanged — psilocybin and MDMA remain accessible only through individually TGA-approved psychiatrists, for treatment-resistant depression and PTSD respectively, and only as part of a structured clinical protocol. See our guide to how the Authorised Prescriber pathway works for the fuller picture.