First postpartum depression pill reaches patients
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved zuranolone — the first pill to treat postpartum depression — in August 2023, but it took months for the supply to become available.
Many doctors say they’re just starting to write their first prescriptions for the drug because it has taken time to find good candidates who are willing to take it.
Doctors hope it will be a game changer since it’s fast acting and can be taken at home. Before zuranolone, the only available treatment was an intravenous injection approved in 2019, but it comes with a risk of excessive sedation and sudden loss of consciousness, so only certain treatment centers are allowed to administer it and patients must stay in the hospital for 2.5 days.
So far, doctors report their patients who are taking zuranolone have seen improvements in their postpartum depression symptoms within a few days, but it’s not known yet whether the drug has a lasting effect.
Read more: NBC News
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