Mind Medicine (MNMD 15.66%) stock is seeing impressive gains Friday. The company's share price was up 16.9% as of 3:15 p.m. ET and had been up as much as 20.7% on the day earlier in the session.

Mind Medicine's valuation is surging following Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s approval as health and human services (HHS) secretary in yesterday's Senate vote. Kennedy has previously voiced support for psychedelics as therapeutic treatments.

Mind Medicine stock soars on RFK Jr.'s HHS confirmation

In a 52-to-48 vote yesterday, RJK Jr. was approved as the U.S.'s new HHS secretary. Among President Donald Trump's cabinet nominations, Kennedy's confirmation vote was viewed as one of the more likely to fall through. But he was confirmed for the cabinet role with nearly unanimous Republican support. Sen. Mitch McConnell from Kentucky was the only Republican to vote against Kennedy.

RFK Jr. has previously said that he supports the use of psychedelic drugs as therapeutic treatments in some instances. With the new HHS secretary being a supporter of Mind Medicine's core competency, it's possible that the biotech company will have an easier time bringing its products to the market.

What's next for Mind Medicine?

Political dynamics appear to be shifting in Mind Medicine's favor. The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company has yet to record any revenue, but it's making progress with testing phases for its core treatments.

On Dec. 16, the company published a press release announcing that its phase 3 study for lysergide D-tartrate (LSD) as a treatment for generalized anxiety disorder was scheduled to kick off in the first half of 2025. Then on Jan. 16, the company announced that the first patient in the clinical test had been dosed. Roughly 250 patients are expected to be tested in the trial, and the results are likely to have a big impact on Mind Medicine's share price.