A career built at the intersection of late-stage drug development and psychedelic research.
Kevin Lanzo, PharmD · Founder & CEO
Prior
Clinical Scientist, Roche / Genentech - Late-Stage Neuroscience & Psychiatry
Currently
Executive in Residence, Lionheart Ventures
Founding Role
Co-founder & past president, Psychedelic Pharmacists Association
Industry
Active contributor to industry working groups on psychedelic clinical trial standards
Dr. Kevin Lanzo is a clinical pharmacist and site activation specialist with a career built at the intersection of late-stage pharmaceutical development and psychedelic clinical research.
Before founding Pharmaka, Kevin spent five years as a clinical scientist at Genentech, working in late-stage drug development across neuroscience and psychiatry. He designed and operated global Phase II and Phase III clinical trials, and built Genentech’s internal psychedelic clinical development program from the ground up.
That work put him on the inside of a problem most sponsors were quietly struggling with: there weren’t enough qualified sites to run Schedule I psychedelic trials. Sponsors had compounds ready to test. Sites didn’t have the licensure, the protocols, or the staff training to take them on.
Kevin founded Pharmaka to close that gap directly, site by site.
Kevin currently serves as Executive in Residence at Lionheart Ventures, is a co-founder and past president of the Psychedelic Pharmacists Association, and is an active contributor to industry working groups on psychedelic clinical trial standards. Pharmaka is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and works with clinical research sites globally, specializing in US locations.
Four commitments the engagement is built on.
- 01 Clinical and operational rigor, first Every decision is measured against what will hold up under sponsor and regulator review.
- 02 Honest expectation setting on what we can and cannot control Sponsor selection, regulatory timelines, and study placement are shaped by many factors. We tell you which ones we can move.
- 03 Fixed-fee engagements with defined milestones You know the scope, the price, and the deliverables at the start - and at every milestone that follows.
- 04 No revenue-share. No patient recruitment. No scope creep. Our incentives are aligned with your readiness - not with billable hours or downstream fees.
Pharmaka has taken sites through the full activation process: DEA Schedule I registration, sponsor alignment, dosing room compliance, staff credentialing, and site-specific operating procedures - from first conversation to first patient enrolled.
Kevin holds active working relationships with sponsors and CROs currently placing psychedelic studies.
Legal psychedelic medicine, developed through rigorous clinical research and brought to patients through the FDA approval pathway, is the most promising path to better mental healthcare available right now.
Realizing that promise takes real infrastructure: licensed sites, trained staff, and operating procedures that hold up to inspection. Pharmaka builds that infrastructure.
Kevin in the field.
FDA’s Multifaceted Role On Display In MDMA Therapy Scrutiny
Expert analysis on psychedelic regulation, co-written with Kimberly Chew, JD.
Read the PDFThe Psychedelic Pharmacists Association’s Push to Define the Pharmacist’s Role
Interview coverage of the PPA’s mission in psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Read on Pharmacy TimesLSD D-Tartrate Receives Breakthrough Therapy Designation for GAD
Commentary on the FDA’s Breakthrough Therapy designation for MM120.
Read on Pharmacy TimesPharmacy Focus: World Psychedelics Day
Podcast conversation on the pharmacist’s role in psychedelic care.
ListenTalk directly with Kevin.
A focused conversation to review your site’s readiness, discuss your goals, and determine whether Pharmaka is the right fit.