The American Medicines Agency (FDA) announced on Friday, August 4, 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.
Every year, about half a million American women experience postpartum depression. A physical and psychological disturbance 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. “Having access to oral medication will be a beneficial option for many of these women who face extreme, and sometimes even life-threatening, feelings,” including thoughts of suicide, Tiffany Farchione added in the statement.
According to two double-blind studies cited by the FDA, patients who received Zurzuvae “showed significantly better improvements in their symptoms than those in the placebo group.”
First results after only three days of treatment
Today, about one in eight women who have given birth experience symptoms of postpartum depression and, of these, only a quarter receive treatment, recalls Asima Ahmad, medical manager for the company Carrot Fertility. And while “there are plenty of drugs that treat depression, zuranolone [the active ingredient], being studied as a treatment for postpartum depression, has faster efficacy and shorter treatment duration than others. drugs already available,” writes the specialist.
Zurzuvae can start working after just three days of treatment, she points out. Authorities recommend taking one 50mg tablet every night for fourteen days. Its price has not been disclosed. The Agency advises against driving during treatment due to side effects.
Asima Ahmad points out 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.
