Women are twice as likely as men to become depressed. Depression is most likely to strike women at the end of pregnancy, what we call postpartum depression. (PPD). PPD is more common than any other medical complication after delivering a baby, occurring in as many as 17% of new mothers. But despite the frequency of occurrence, and improvements in screening and detecting PPD, the majority of cases go untreated.
Two years ago, brexanolone, a steroid with biological actions in the brain, was approved for treating PPD. But brexanolone requires a clinic or hospital visit for a 60-hour continuous IV infusion, and carries a $34,000 price tag. In contrast, zuranolone (sold under the brand name Zurzuvae), approved in August by the FDA, is a daily pill, and is expected to be available to patients before the end of the year.