Filipa Sampaio

Filipa Sampaio is associate professor of health economics at the Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences at Uppsala University, Sweden. Her work focuses on the economics of mental health and child health. She leads work on the economic evaluation of both preventive and treatment interventions — including trial-based and model-based studies, as well as analyses using large-scale register data.

Dr. Sampaio has authored over 60 peer reviewed scientific papers and brings a strong interest in how economic evidence can inform real-world decisions in mental health care. She co-leads the Mental Health Economics working group within EUPHA’s public health economics section, where she is a member of the steering committee. She serves as section editor of the Behavioural Medicine & Mental Health Economics section of the new PLOS Mental Health, a journal with a particular focus on lived experience.

The Economics of Psychedelic Therapies in Mental Health: What Do We Know, and What Do We Still Need?

Psychedelic-assisted therapies are emerging as promising innovations in the treatment of mental health conditions such as depression, PTSD, and anxiety disorders. While clinical interest and investment in psychedelic trials is growing rapidly, economic evidence to support reimbursement and large-scale implementation remains limited. In this talk, I will provide an overview of the current landscape of cost-effectiveness evidence for psychedelic therapies in mental health. Drawing on examples from published and ongoing research, I will highlight key gaps and discuss the importance of incorporating equity, affordability, and patient-centered outcomes in economic evaluations.

Health economics can play a critical role in shaping the future of psychedelics in mental health care by informing smarter investment, equitable access, and sustainable adoption. To fully realize the potential of these therapies, we must go beyond the clinical question of "do they work?" and ask: "are they worth it, and for whom?"