COMPASS Pathways launches new podcast “Everyone has a story: talking about mental health”

London, UK – 30 June 2021

COMPASS Pathways plc (Nasdaq: CMPS) ("COMPASS”), a mental health care company dedicated to accelerating patient access to evidence-based innovation in mental health, launched a new podcast today – "Everyone has a story: talking about mental health”.

The podcast will feature influential guests who will talk about their mental health journeys, share their personal stories, and discuss critical issues in mental health care, including compassion and patient access. Everyone has a story: talking about mental health aims to open up dialogue about mental health challenges, to reduce stigma and to secure better care for those who are suffering.

The first episode will feature mental health campaigner and former UK government health minister, Sir Norman Lamb, who is currently Chair of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Chairman of the Children’s and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition in the UK. He joins COMPASS Pathways CEO and Co-founder George Goldsmith to talk about the experiences of dealing with mental health difficulties in their own families, the impact of COVID-19, and the challenges facing mental health care systems today.

Sir Norman Lamb said: "It’s really important to open up about mental health. Our family has been touched by mental ill health just like most families. Talking about our experiences makes it a little easier for others to seek help when they are worried about what’s going on in their head. I hope the podcast will contribute to this public discussion. We have made real progress over the last 10 years in reducing stigma relating to mental ill health but we still have a long way to go to complete the revolution!”

Episode two, to be released in July, will feature Grammy-award nominated singer, New York Times bestselling author and mental health advocate, Jewel, who will be talking about how she overcame her mental health challenges as a teenager, how she maintains her mental wellbeing today, and her Inspiring Children’s Foundation.

Jewel said: "As kids, we’re not taught mental hygiene and emotional hygiene in the same way that we’re taught, say, dental hygiene. And yet our teeth are nowhere near as important as learning how to curate our thoughts. We need to teach a new emotional language, one that will help children and young people to take charge of their own happiness. That starts by having the conversations and talking openly about mental health, as we’re doing through this podcast.”

George Goldsmith said: "We are living through a growing mental health care crisis. Even before COVID, one in four people experienced some form of mental health challenge, with more than 320 million people around the world suffering with depression. One person dies from suicide every 40 seconds, and in that time 20 more people attempt it. Mental health care remains woefully inadequate for the vast majority of sufferers and stigma is still a huge issue.

"Our vision at COMPASS is a world of mental wellbeing, a world in which there is no stigma around mental health, and people have choices in how they manage their mental health care. We hope the stories that unfold on "Everyone has a story” will inspire listeners to share their own experiences, and open up conversations everywhere about mental health and mental health care.”

Subscribe to "Everyone has a story: talking about mental health” on the COMPASS website or by searching for it on your favourite podcast app.

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About COMPASS Pathways

COMPASS Pathways plc (Nasdaq: CMPS) is a mental health care company dedicated to accelerating patient access to evidence-based innovation in mental health. Our focus is on improving the lives of those who are suffering with mental health challenges and who are not helped by current treatments. We are pioneering the development of a new model of psilocybin therapy, in which our proprietary formulation of synthetic psilocybin, COMP360, is administered in conjunction with psychological support. COMP360 has been designated a Breakthrough Therapy by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), and we are currently conducting a phase IIb clinical trial of psilocybin therapy for TRD, in 22 sites across Europe and North America. We are headquartered in London, UK, with offices in New York, US. Our vision is a world of mental wellbeing. www.compasspathways.com

Availability of other information about COMPASS Pathways

Investors and others should note that the Company communicates with its investors and the public using its website (www.compasspathways.com), its investor relations website (ir.compasspathways.com), and on social media (LinkedIn), including but not limited to investor presentations and investor fact sheets, US Securities and Exchange Commission filings, press releases, public conference calls and webcasts. The information posted on these channels and websites could be deemed to be material information. As a result, we encourage investors, the media, and others interested in the Company to review the information that is posted on these channels, including the investor relations website, on a regular basis. This list of channels may be updated from time to time on our investor relations website and may include additional social media channels. The contents of the Company’s website or these channels, or any other website that may be accessed from the website or these channels, shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933.           

Forward-looking statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may”, "might”, "will”, "could”, "would”, "should”, "expect”, "intend”, "plan”, "objective”, "anticipate”, "believe”, "contemplate”, "estimate”, "predict”, "potential”, "continue” and "ongoing,” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements include express or implied statements relating to, among other things, the safety profile of COMP360 and the efficacy of COMP360 psilocybin therapy as a treatment for depression, COMPASS’s business strategy and goals, COMPASS’s ability to continue to advance its research, including COMP360, and COMPASS’s expectations regarding the benefits of its COMP360 psilocybin therapy. The forward-looking statements in this press release are neither promises nor guarantees, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond COMPASS’s control and which could cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

These risks, uncertainties, and other factors include, among others: preclinical research and clinical development is lengthy and uncertain, and therefore our preclinical studies and clinical trials may be delayed or terminated, or may never advance to or in the clinic; and those risks and uncertainties described under the heading "Risk Factors” in COMPASS’s annual report on Form 20-F filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on 9 March 2021 and in subsequent filings made by COMPASS with the SEC, which are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Except as required by law, COMPASS disclaims any intention or responsibility for updating or revising any forward-looking statements contained in this press release in the event of new information, future developments or otherwise. These forward-looking statements are based on COMPASS’s current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof.         

Enquiries

Media: Tracy Cheung, tracy@compasspathways.com, +44 7966 309024
Investors: Stephen Schultz, stephen.schultz@compasspathways.com, +1 401 290 7423

Attachments

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