Emyria lands former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs as U.S. strategy takes shape
Emyria Limited (ASX: EMD) has announced the appointment of Dr David Shulkin, former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, as Strategic Advisor to the company. The appointment is aimed at strengthening Emyria’s capability to pursue partnerships and commercial opportunities in the United States as federal agencies increase their focus on psychedelic medicine and its potential future delivery.
Dr Shulkin brings bipartisan federal credentials that are rare among healthcare advisors. Appointed Under Secretary for Health by President Barack Obama in 2015, he was subsequently confirmed as Secretary of Veterans Affairs under President Donald Trump in 2017, becoming the only Trump cabinet secretary to receive unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
As Secretary, Dr Shulkin led one of the world’s largest integrated healthcare systems, overseeing more than 350,000 employees, approximately 1,400 VA facilities, and healthcare services for more than 9 million U.S. Veterans.
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Why Dr Shulkin’s appointment is strategically timed
U.S. federal momentum behind psychedelic medicine
The timing of this appointment reflects a measurable shift in U.S. federal policy. In April 2026, President Trump signed an Executive Order on psychedelic medicine, and in July 2026, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) entered a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen collaboration on psychedelic research, clinical development, and the responsible deployment of potential future FDA-approved therapies for Veterans.
The VA is currently involved in 20 active clinical trials focused on psychedelic therapies for mental health conditions, supported by the VA Office of Research and Development and more than US$23 million in external funding, according to figures cited in the HHS/VA announcement referenced in the ASX release.
Importantly, this federal activity is extending beyond drug development toward the healthcare infrastructure that may be required for potential future treatment delivery, including clinician education and training, workforce capability, evidence-based care models, and safe integration into established healthcare settings. This is the area where Emyria’s established clinical platform is directly relevant.
A proven playbook for ASX companies in the U.S. VA market
Dr Shulkin has prior experience supporting an ASX-listed healthcare company in the U.S. federal space. He joined 4DMedical Limited (ASX: 4DX) as an advisor in 2023 to support its U.S. Veterans Affairs strategy, and since that appointment, 4DMedical has expanded its activities across the U.S. Veterans Health Administration and Department of Defense. This track record is relevant context for investors evaluating the credibility of his engagement with Emyria, though it is not presented as a guarantee of equivalent outcomes.
At Emyria, Dr Shulkin’s advisory focus will span:
- Clinical and research partnerships
- U.S. federal healthcare and veterans’ health opportunities
- Healthcare system, government, and industry engagement
- Strategic partnerships with drug developers and organisations requiring specialist clinical delivery capability
What makes Emyria’s clinical platform different — and why that matters in the U.S.
Psychedelic-assisted therapies are structurally different from conventional pharmaceutical treatments. Rather than a standard prescription, these therapies require long-duration supervised sessions, trained multidisciplinary clinical teams, specialised environments, and structured governance frameworks. The U.S. healthcare system, as it moves toward potential delivery of these treatments at scale, will require partners who already have this infrastructure in place.
Emyria has spent several years building precisely that capability. Its clinical delivery platform includes:
- Specialised and supervised treatment environments
- Trained multidisciplinary clinical teams
- Treatment protocols and clinical governance
- Clinician training and workforce development
- Regulatory, ethics and drug logistics capability
- Longitudinal real-world patient data and evidence generation
The platform is already commercially operational. Emyria is currently acting as a clinical trial site for Psyence Biomed’s Phase IIb trial in adjustment disorder in patients with advanced cancer, delivered through its Empax Global Partnership Program. This demonstrates the company’s ability to support international drug developers through its established clinical infrastructure.
The Empax Global Partnership Program was designed precisely as Emyria’s commercial mechanism for offering its clinical infrastructure to international drug sponsors, with Psyence Group as its first confirmed North American partner and a capital-light revenue structure that lets incremental sponsor fees flow through the existing cost base.
Dr David Shulkin, former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs
“The United States is entering an important phase in the development of psychedelic medicine, with increasing attention being given not only to clinical research, but also to how these treatments may ultimately be delivered safely and effectively within established healthcare systems. Emyria has developed practical experience across supervised treatment delivery, clinical protocols, clinician training and real-world patient data…”
The investment case: infrastructure expertise meets a market in motion
Three threads converge in this announcement. U.S. federal psychedelic policy is accelerating, Emyria holds a differentiated clinical delivery platform already generating commercial activity, and Dr Shulkin brings the relationships and institutional knowledge to navigate federal healthcare and Veterans’ health at the highest level.
Emyria’s U.S. profile has been building. The company was selected by the U.S. FDA for an in-person speaking position at a recent psychedelic medicines hearing (referenced in the ASX announcement dated 10 September 2026), placing it directly before senior representatives from the FDA and Veterans Health Administration. Emyria combines a drug development pipeline with a clinical delivery platform, positioning it as an enabling clinical infrastructure layer for the psychedelic therapy ecosystem as it matures in the world’s largest healthcare market.
Emyria’s selection for the FDA psychedelic medicines hearing in September 2026 placed the company’s real-world Australian clinical data directly before senior U.S. regulators, with the four discussion areas of provider training, patient safety, access, and data standardisation mapping precisely onto capabilities Emyria had already built domestically.
Greg Hutchinson, Executive Chair
“…Dr Shulkin’s experience across federal healthcare and Veterans’ health significantly strengthens Emyria’s capability to pursue partnerships and commercial opportunities in the United States for our established clinical delivery platform.”
The table below summarises the key milestones underpinning Emyria’s current U.S. market positioning:
| Milestone | Detail | Date | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDA speaking selection | In-person position at psychedelic medicines hearing | September 2026 | Direct access to senior FDA and VHA representatives |
| Dr Shulkin appointment | Strategic Advisor | September 2026 | U.S. federal healthcare and VA navigation |
| VA–HHS MOU | Collaboration on psychedelic research and delivery | July 2026 | Federal tailwind for treatment delivery infrastructure |
| Psyence Biomed partnership | Phase IIb clinical trial site | Ongoing | Commercial proof of platform capability |
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