Maternal health experts and an advocate for people struggling with postpartum depression are hoping a fast-acting, short-term medication approved in the United States will soon be available north of the border.
Zuranolone is the first pill specifically designed for severe depression after childbirth, with relief that starts on Day 3 of a two-week regimen, according to two clinical trials.
Drug manufacturers Biogen and Sage Therapeutics received approval from the U-S Food and Drug Administration for the novel medication, marketed under the brand name Zurzuvae, earlier this month.
A spokeswoman for Biogen says the companies are focusing on making the pill commercially available in the U-S later this year and have not filed an application seeking approval from Health Canada, but they're exploring opportunities to make the drug available elsewhere.
So far, only one drug, launched in 2019 by Sage, targets postpartum depression, but it's given intravenously in U-S medical settings for 60 hours at a cost of 34-thousand dollars.
Carole Dagher of Toronto says she experienced severe postpartum depression that kept her inside her home for months and she'd like Health Canada to quickly approve the novel drug if its makers apply to have it available here.
Doctor Diane Francoeur of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada says the rapid response of the new medication will assure women who may fear prolonged use of general antidepressants.