Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved use of zuranolone for the treatment of postpartum depression. The pill, which has the brand name Zurzuvae, will be prescribed for daily use for 14 days.
"Having access to an oral medication will be a beneficial option for many of these women coping with extreme, and sometimes life-threatening, feelings," the FDA's director of psychiatric drugs, Dr. Tiffany Farchione, said in a statement.
"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."
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Postpartum depression is a serious mental illness that affects 1 in 7 people after childbirth. Typically, PPD is treated with professional counseling and antidepressants, which may or may not work.
Sage Therapeutics and Biogen came up with the pill, making it an easier and more accessible version of the medication they created that was approved in 2019. That version of the medication has to be administered by IV drip and requires a three-day stay in a medical facility.
"We see potential for zuranolone, if approved, to be a meaningful new option that can help address the serious unmet need faced by the diverse populations struggling," Dr. Priya Singhal, executive vice president and head of development at Biogen, said in a press release in February of this year.
Just like with any other medication, there are side effects to be aware of when taking the drug. Those side effects include "drowsiness, dizziness, diarrhea, fatigue, nasopharyngitis (the common cold), and urinary tract infection."
The pill can also cause suicidal thoughts and behavior. Suicidal ideation is normally found in more severe cases of postpartum depression, and account for 20% of all postpartum maternal deaths.
Currently there isn't data on what happens after the 14-day period of taking the pill.
While it is exciting that there will be a new fast-acting pill to treat postpartum depression, it's important to note that this particular medication was made for and tested on those with more severe PPD. Still, it's something that can lead to some truly life-changing experiences.
"Rapidly acting antidepressant therapies are needed and this would be the first oral drug formulation of a rapidly acting antidepressant. That is a very big deal for moving the bar forward to improve treatment options for women with postpartum depression," Dr. Samantha Meltzer-Brody, director of the Center for Women’s Mood Disorders at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an investigator on the clinical trial, told CNN.
According to NPR, Sage Therapeutics has yet to release how much the pill will cost, which will determine how it's prescribed. This is a very important step forward.
