The United States approved the production of the first new antidepressant in 30 years

For the first time in 30 years, the US FDA has approved a new type of antidepressant. This is Johson & Johnson's esketamine, which Bloomberg called the first major breakthrough in the treatment of this disease since the introduction of Prozac in 1987. It will be sold as a nasal spray.

More. The drug will be prescribed to patients with severe depression (resistant), when two courses of treatment with different antidepressants do not help and doctors have to look for other therapies. Its intended future trade name after certification is Spravato.

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Clinical trials with 1,700 participants showed that those who took the drug for a month actually had reduced symptoms of the disease compared to those who took a placebo.

The active ingredient in Spravato is ketamine, which can be addictive. And its abuse as a drug is the main risk of taking the drug. It will be sold only by prescription, and it will be allowed to be taken only under the supervision of the attending physician in the clinic - the patient will have to stay there for two hours due to possible side effects. Among them are lethargy, impaired attention and a state of dissociation, when a person has a feeling of unreality of what is happening.

Doctors believe that the drug can be a real find , despite the side effects. "We haven't had anything new for 30 years," said Vanderbilt University psychiatry professor Stephen Hollon.

The FDA approved Spravato only after the agency's advisory committee said in February that the drug's benefits outweighed the risks and voiced support for it.

It is not known whether the drug will be sold in Russia - ketamine is a psychotropic substance, its circulation in the country is limited.

Anna Kovalenko