US approves first postpartum depression pill - what is it and what are UK treatments

Health regulators in the US have approved the first pill to treat postpartum depression.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it had approved zuranolone, sold under the brand name Zurzuvae, to treat severe depression related to childbirth or pregnancy as a once-daily pill taken for two weeks.

The drug will be available later this year, said drug manufacturers Sage Therapeutics. However, no price has been announced.

Previously, the FDA said treatment for postpartum depression (PPD) was available only as an intravenous injection. 

“Zurzuvae is expected to launch and be commercially available in the fourth quarter of 2023 shortly following scheduling as a controlled substance by the US Drug Enforcement Administration, which is anticipated to occur within 90 days,” Sage Therapeutics and Biogen said in a statement.

Symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD) can include sadness, loss of energy, suicidal thoughts, decreased ability to feel pleasure, or cognitive impairment, according to the FDA.

Around one in seven women experience symptoms of PPD in the US, research has found.

"Postpartum depression is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition in which women experience sadness, guilt, worthlessness - even, in severe cases, thoughts of harming themselves or their child," said Tiffany Farchione, head of psychiatry in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

"And, because postpartum depression can disrupt the maternal-infant bond, it can also have consequences for the child's physical and emotional development."

Access to an oral medication will be beneficial for many women "coping with extreme, and sometimes life-threatening, feelings", she added.

Clinical trials revealed the pill helped to significantly reduce depressive symptoms within three days and the effect of the medication was maintained at four weeks after the last dose, the FDA said.

However, the most common side-effects from taking Zurzuvae can include drowsiness, dizziness, diarrhoea, fatigue, the common cold, and urinary tract infection.

The agency said labelling contains a boxed warning that Zurzuvae can affect a person's ability to drive and perform other potentially hazardous activities and said patients should not drive or operate heavy machinery for at least 12 hours after taking it.

Postpartum depression in the UK

In the UK, postpartum depression is known as postnatal depression and can affect more than 1 in every 10 women within a year of giving birth 

The NHS said "the baby blues" (feeling tearful or anxious in the first week after giving birth) do not last for more than two weeks after giving birth, and if symptoms last longer you could have postnatal depression. 

UK treatments include self-help, such as getting as much sleep as you can at night, exercising regularly, and eating a healthy diet. 

Other treatments include talking therapy where a GP may be able to recommend a self-help course or may refer you for a course of therapy. 

Another treatment is antidepressants which may be recommended if your depression is more severe or other treatments have not helped; your doctor can prescribe a medicine that's safe to take while breastfeeding.