FDA Approval Expected Monday of Ketamine-derived “Spravato”
TAKE HOME POINTS: SpravatoTM, a form of ketamine, will be FDA approved on Monday for Treatment Resistant Depression and for Major Depression with suicidality. FDA approval will result in insurance coverage for this form of ketamine, for this purpose, which will make it affordable for millions of suffering patients. Although it is...
New Insight Into How Ketamine Works in Depression
Ketamine exerts an initial antidepressant effect by blocking the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), and the ketamine metabolite hydroxynorketamine (HNK) may extend the duration of the effect. The findings could lead to the development of safer alternatives. more… (registration required)
Inside the Los Angeles Clinic That Uses Ketamine to Treat Depression
Depression is all too common, especially among people in the tech sector. That’s why denizens of Silicon Beach have been flocking to a local clinic that offers a radical alternative when standard treatments fall short. more…
How Untreated Depression Contributes to the Opioid Epidemic
It can sometimes seem strange how so much of the country got hooked on opioids within just a few years. Deaths from prescription drugs like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone have more than quadrupled since 1999, according to the CDC. But pain doesn’t seem to be the only culprit: About one-third of Americans have chronic pain, but not all of...
FDA Data Support Ketamine as Depression Therapy
An analysis of data from the FDA Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS) supported previous findings that ketamine could be an effective treatment for depression, researchers found. more…