FDA Approves Esketamine Nasal Spray for Hard-to-Treat Depression
The FDA approves esketamine, a ketamine-related nasal spray, offering a fast-acting new option for patients with treatment-resistant depression. The Johnson & Johnson drug marks the first major depression treatment to reach the U.S. market in decades.
The Food and Drug Administration approves esketamine as the first major depression treatment to reach the U.S. market in decades. Developed by Johnson & Johnson under the brand name Spravato, the drug provides a new option for patients who do not respond to existing therapies.
Doctors deliver the medication as a nasal spray and use it in combination with traditional oral antidepressants for patients with treatment-resistant depression. Because esketamine is chemically related to ketamine, a common anesthetic that faces recreational misuse, experts note the drug requires careful administration.
Medical experts praise the approval as a critical breakthrough for patients in dire need of new options, largely because the treatment works much faster than standard antidepressants. Johnson & Johnson officials emphasize that the unmet need for effective depression therapies remains huge for these vulnerable individuals.