Drug to treat postpartum depression shows promise in trial
NEW YORK - Tonya Fulwider suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter. As many as one in eight moms experience a postpartum mental health condition according to the CDC.
"It's important that new moms have options for treatment," Fulwider said.
New moms may soon have another option to address postpartum depression. The drug Zuranolone is one step closer to FDA approval after a clinical trial yielded promising results — a decrease in depression and anxiety symptoms in a matter of days.
Dr. Kristina Deligiannidis of Northwell Health's Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is leading the trial. Just two weeks after taking 30 milligrams of the drug, which is a neuroactive steroid, nearly half of the participants were depression-free. Mild side effects, including tiredness, were similar to what the women who took the sugar pill experienced.
"Our typical antidepressants take eight to 12 weeks to work," she said. "This is working in as soon as three days in clinical trial."
Prior to these trial results, there's only been one medication approved for PPD but it's just offered as a 60-hour infusion. This different compound would be in pill form.
"This study mimics the molecule our body makes [that] has rapid effects on the brain to reduce stress on the brain," Deligiannidis said.
Now Feinstein Institutes is once again working to recruit women who may have postpartum symptoms up to six months after giving birth using a higher dose of the same medication.
Without intervention, postpartum depression can last for years, doctors say.
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