FDA Okays Postpartum Depression Pill Made By Cambridge Drug Firms

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday approved the first pill designed to treat postpartum depression, a fast-acting antidepressant taken once a day for two weeks for a disorder that affects as many as 12.5% of all female Americans, Jonathan Saltzman reported for the Boston Globe.

Photo Insert: The drug, made by Cambridge-based biotechs Sage Therapeutics and Biogen, will be sold under the name Zurzuvae.

The drug, made by Cambridge-based biotechs Sage Therapeutics and Biogen, will be sold under the name Zurzuvae.

It works differently from older antidepressants that are sometimes prescribed off-label for postpartum depression. Those can take up to 12 weeks to provide full benefits, while Zurzuvae is taken once a day for 14 days and acts quickly.

Some recipients of the pill in trials felt better after only two of the 14 doses, according to researchers.

There was no immediate announcement on what Sage Therapeutics and Biogen plan to charge for the medicine, which is considered a potential blockbuster and is expected to be prescribed to millions of women seeking immediate relief from depression.

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