There’s a new FDA-approved treatment for postpartum depression

On Friday, the FDA approved the first pill specifically intended to treat women with postpartum depression.

Postpartum depression – a condition that manifests after pregnancy and commonly includes mood swings, crying spells, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping – affects an estimated 10%–15% of women who give birth in the US.

💊 The treatment: The new pill, called “Zurzuvae,” is designed to be taken once daily for 14 days. It was approved based on two studies indicating a majority of women who took the pill clinically responded to treatment after the two-week course (72% in one trial; 57% in the other), meaning their scores on a standard depression scale improved by 50% or more.

And the drug’s benefits, measured via psychiatric test, appeared within three days for many patients – a far cry from any prior treatments.

• Standard treatment for postpartum depression includes counseling or antidepressants, which can take weeks to work and don't help everyone.
• The only other drug approved for postpartum depression is brexanolone (marketed as Zulresso), but it’s both logistically- and- cost- prohibitive. The drug requires a 60-hour IV drip in a hospital, carries risks of loss of consciousness, and costs $34,000. Only ~1,000 patients have received it since its approval in 2019.

😬 Zoom out: The maternal mortality rate in the US is currently the highest it's been since 1965. The leading cause of death for mothers, either during birth or up to a year postpartum, is mental health issues (23%).