FDA Approves Ketamine Derivative as Depression Treatment for First Time

By Lee Hoffer, Case Western Reserve University
Mar 22, 2019 8:39 PMOct 15, 2019 4:42 PM
One in 3 people with severe depression do not respond to treatment. (Credit: TZIDO SUN/Shutterstock)
One in 3 people with severe depression do not respond to treatment. (Credit: TZIDO SUN/Shutterstock)

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Treatment-resistant depression affects 1 in 3 of the estimated 16.2 million adults in the U.S. who have suffered at least one major depressive episode. For them, two or more therapies have failed and the risk of suicide is much greater. It’s a grim prognosis.

There are few therapies for depression that resists treatment, which is why the FDA granted this new drug application Fast Track and Breakthrough Therapy status. On March 5, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new treatment called esketamine.

The chemical structure of esketamine.
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