FDA Approves Ketamine-like drug for Treatment-resistant Depression

FDA approves new nasal spray medication for treatment-resistant depression; available only at a certified doctor’s office or clinic – U.S. Food & Drug Administration (free)

Commentaries: A ketamine-like drug is the first new antidepressant to get FDA approval in years: But it’s also controversial. – Vox (free) AND FDA Approves Intranasal Esketamine as Adjunctive Treatment for Depression – NEJM Journal Watch (free)

“But while some patient and doctor groups are hailing the approval, others aren’t so sure there’s enough evidence to justify it. That’s because the benefits of ketamine and esketamine aren’t yet well-understood. According to the FDA, the drug has only been studied in four clinical trials, three of them lasting just four weeks. And the results were pretty mixed.” (from Vox)

Related Commentary on Twitter

#FDA never learns from its past mistakes.
20 yrs ago, approved #Oxycontin, supposedly w restrictions.
We know how well those safety checks worked.
Now same blindness to risks of promoting #esketamine.
Doesnt it know people with #Depression will self medicate with street Special K https://t.co/FEj8S4QIFw

— Allen Frances (@AllenFrancesMD) March 6, 2019