Q&A New Drug for Post Partum Depression

How do traditional therapeutic interventions compare with the potential benefits of the new FDA-approved pill for postpartum depression?
The new U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved zuranolone is the first oral medication for the treatment of postpartum depression (PPD), a major depressive episode that usually happens after childbirth. Previously PPD was only treated with an IV injection given by specialists on an in-patient basis. It’s effectiveness was demonstrated when patients in the Zurzuvae groups improved significantly more as compared to those in the placebo groups.

Do you foresee any shifts in the way postpartum depression is understood and treated within the medical and mental health community?
Dr. Tiffany R. Farchione, director of the Division of Psychiatry in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research said that “Having access to an oral medication will be a beneficial option for many of women coping with extreme, and sometimes life-threatening, feelings.” In this manner having this new option in our armamentarium will help us help our patients better.

Will this drug normalize the conversation around PPD?
This new medication will allow doctors and patients to speak in a more constructive manner regarding the ability to tackle the difficult feelings associated with postpartum depression. Now that we have one more option to treat patients suffering from this condition, the conversation will be normalized to the extent that there’s more hope for an effective treatment.