Later this year, the FDA plans to decide whether MDMA can be used to treat PTSD

Later this year, the FDA plans to decide whether MDMA can be used to treat PTSD / Eva Almqvist/Getty Images

People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may soon have a new treatment option: MDMA.

MDMA is the chemical compound found in the drug commonly called ecstasy. In August, the Food and Drug Administration plans to decide whether MDMA will be approved for market based on years of research. But serious allegations of research misconduct may derail the approval timeline.

NPR science reporter Will Stone talks to host Emily Kwong about the clinical trials on MDMA-assisted therapy research and a recent report questioning the validity of the results.

Read Will's full story here.

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This episode was produced by Berly McCoy, edited by Amina Khan and fact checked by Will Stone. Josh Newell was the audio engineer.