The American Medicines Agency (FDA) announced Friday to authorize for the first time a tablet dedicated to the treatment of postpartum depression, a situation encountered by many women after childbirth but long surrounded by a taboo.
Zurzuvae, from Sage Therapeutics Laboratories, is “the first oral drug to be indicated for the treatment of postpartum depression in adults,” the FDA said in a statement.
Physical and psychological shock that can last several months, postpartum depression is a “serious and potentially fatal situation, during which women feel sadness, a feeling of guilt, of uselessness”, recalls Tiffany Farchione, responsible in psychiatry at the United States Medicines Agency.
Every year, about half a million American women experience postpartum depression.
“Having access to oral medication will be a beneficial option for many of these women who are dealing with extreme, sometimes even life-threatening feelings,” including leading to suicidal thoughts, Tiffany Farchione added in the statement. In total, postpartum depression affects 15% to 30% of mothers worldwide.
According to two double-blind studies cited by the FDA, patients who received Zurzuvae “showed much better improvements in their symptoms than those in the placebo group”. Authorities recommend taking one 50 mg tablet every night for 14 days. Its price has not been disclosed.
Today, around one in eight women who have given birth experience symptoms of postpartum depression, and of these, only a quarter receive treatment, said Asima Ahmad, medical manager for the company Carrot Fertility.
And if “there are many drugs that treat depression, zuranolone (the active ingredient), studied as a treatment for postpartum depression, has a faster effectiveness and a shorter duration of treatment than others medicines already available”, writes the specialist. Zurzuvae can start working after just three days of treatment, she points out.
Asima Ahmad specifies that another drug, brexanolone, already exists but requires an intravenous injection over 60 hours, whereas with oral administration at home, Zurzuvae “could improve ease of access for certain populations”, in particular ethnic minorities, less informed of the risks.
2023-08-06 14:00:57
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