GROUNDBREAKING

New Nasal Spray to Treat Depression Gets FDA Approval

It’s the first-ever stand-alone treatment for major depressive disorder.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a nasal spray to treat depression—the first-ever stand-alone medication for patients with severe depression. Johnson & Johnson said patients who use the nasal spray Spravato—which is made from the drug esketamine—may see improvements in depressive symptoms in as little as 24 hours. The company said the spray works by targeting glutamate, which is the brain’s “most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter.”“Treatment-resistant depression can be very complicated, especially for patients who do not respond to oral antidepressants or cannot tolerate them. For too long, healthcare providers have had few options to offer patients much-needed symptom improvement,” said Bill Martin, global therapeutic area head of neuroscience at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine. Major depression is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for ages 15 to 44, and it affects more than 8 percent (21 million) of American adults annually, according to Mental Health America.