New pill approved to tackle postpartum depression

The first-ever pill for postpartum depression has been given the greenlight in America following a successful clinical trial.

Zuranolone, the new pill, which is sold under the brand name Zurzuvae, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a once-daily pill taken for two weeks.

Until now the only available treatment for the condition came in the form of an intravenous injection, according to the FDA. In addition to more treatment being welcomed in different forms, according to research that was published in the ‘National Library of Medicine’, it is estimated that one in seven women experience symptoms of postpartum depression within the US, suggesting more treatments need to be made available.

Tiffany Farchione, head of psychiatry in the FDA’s Centre for Drug Evaluation and Research, said: ‘Postpartum depression is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition in which women experience sadness, guilt, worthlessness – even in severe cases, thoughts of harming themselves or their child.

‘And, because postpartum depression can disrupt the maternal-infant bond, it can also have consequences for the child’s physical and emotional development.’

Against this backdrop, clinical trials displayed the pill helped to majorly reduce depressive symptoms within three days of taking it. The effect of the medication was maintained at four weeks after the last dose.

The FDA noted that the common side effects from swallowing the pill can include, fatigue, dizziness, drowsiness, diarrhoea, the common cold, and a urinary tract infection (UTI).

Alongside this, experts have recommended that if people decide to tell the pill they should not drive or operate heavy machinery for up to 12 hours.

As well as using Zurzuvae to combat the effects of postpartum depression, Sage Therapeutics and Biogen have sought approval to use the drug to treat major depression disorder, or clinical depression. However, the FDA claimed the medication did not provide substantial evidence of effectiveness and said an additional study would be required.

Although this news has not been received well as Sage Therapeutic said it was ‘highly disappointed for patients, particularly amid the current mental health crisis.’

A report which was published in June 2023 by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention discovered in 2020, 18.4% of US adults reported having ever been diagnosed with depression in their lifetime – but, state by state, that percentage ranged from an estimated 12.7% in Hawaii to 27.5% in West Virginia.  

Image: Alex Pasarelu