A New, Rapidly Acting Antidepressant for Patients with Postpartum Depression

The FDA recently approved zuranolone, a mechanistically novel antidepressant that works faster than standard antidepressants.

Postpartum depression is common but poorly recognized and leads to adverse maternal and infant outcomes. Current treatments are suboptimal: Standard antidepressants take 8 to 12 weeks to work, and new mothers pressed for time have difficulty accessing effective psychotherapies. Zuranolone (Zurzuvae) is a rapid-acting oral agent, recently FDA-approved for treatment of postpartum depression. This drug is an analogue of a neuroactive progesterone metabolite with widespread effects on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) brain circuits; its precipitous decrease at birth might provoke these depressive episodes.

FDA approval was based on two randomized, manufacturer-funded trials:

In one trial, 151 patients with postpartum depression received zuranolone …

Reviewing Author

Peter Roy-Byrne, MD

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Peter Roy-Byrne, MD

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A New, Rapidly Acting Antidepressant for Patients with Postpartum Depression

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Reviewing Author