Collins, S. (2023). FDA Approves First Oral Medication for Postpartum Depression. American Pharmacists Association.

Introduction

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday approved Zurzuvae (zuranolone), the first oral medication for the treatment of postpartum depression in adults. Zuranolone acts on similar receptors in the brain as the intravenous medication brexanolone, which was the first postpartum depression medication to receive FDA approval in 2019.

“As a perinatal psychiatrist, I see the devastating impact [postpartum depression] has on mothers, particularly on the important mother-infant bond and long-term child development,” Kristina Deligiannidis, M.D., principal investigator of the Zurzuvae clinical program, said in a press release issued by Sage Therapeutics. Zuranolone and brexanolone are both manufactured by Sage Therapeutics.