2023-11-12 15:20:15
A first postpartum depression pill approved last August in the United States now raises questions regarding accessibility.
• Read also: First pill for postpartum depression approved in the United States
• Read also: US approves pill for postpartum depression
In fact, the drug Zurzuvae, approved by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), will be available to consumers next December.
This will cost nearly US$16,000 (CA$22,000) every two weeks, while most antidepressants are sold at an approximate cost of $20 per month, according to information from CNN.
“It remains to be seen how much insurance companies will cover or whether they will require women to ‘fail’ treatment with cheaper SSRIs before paying for this new treatment,” said Dr. Katrina Furey, a psychiatrist in private practice who specializes in women’s mental health and reproductive psychiatry, and clinical instructor at Yale University, at CNN.
“I hope that its price will not be a barrier to the accessibility of this treatment,” she added.
Currently, options for treating postpartum depression orally are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, antidepressants that “take weeks to work and must continue to be taken daily for at least six to 12 months.” , according to Dr. Katrina Furey.
Postpartum depression affects regarding 1 in 8 people who have a baby, according to a study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“In Canada (in 2019), nearly one in four mothers (23%) who recently gave birth reported having feelings consistent with postpartum depression or an anxiety disorder,” says Statistics Canada.
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