The world’s first pill to treat postpartum depression (PPD) is now available in the US.
The medication, brand name Zurzuvae, was approved by the FDA in August to help one in seven new mothers suffering from postpartum depression.
It is given as two pills a day for two weeks and could finally bring relief to millions of women who suffer the debilitating condition every year.
But the medicine comes with a heavy price tag – almost $16,000 before insurance – and health officials are unsure how much insurance companies will pay.
There is an injectable version of the medication, which is already available, but it must be given in the hospital over a period of 60 hours.
Zuranolone, which is an antidepressant, is a once-a-day pill which is to be taken for two weeks. It will be sold under the brand name Zurzuvae

Former Victoria’s Secret model Chrissy Teigen admitted to suffering postpartum depression after the birth of her first child, saying the months following childbirth were a ‘sad existence’
This version costs even more, coming in at $35,000.
A late-stage study of Zurzuvae in pill form found that women who took the medicine had significantly improved symptoms and felt better within three days compared to women who took a placebo, which lasted for at least 45 days.
Dr Katrina Furey, a Yale School of Medicine psychiatrist, said that with postpartum depression, a women ‘doesn’t have enough allopregnanolone and her GABA-A receptors aren’t firing right, which is what makes her irritable, anxious, and depressed, among other symptoms.’
The medication, called zuranolone, is a synthetic form of allopregnanolone, a naturally occurring substance that the body makes from the hormone progesterone.
Allopregnanolone helps receptors in the brain which regulate mood and behavior work better.
Zurzuvae can be bought from specialist pharmacies and also shipped directly to patients.
Dr Kristina Deligiannidis, a professor at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in New York who has been the principal investigator on national multisite clinical trials that led to Zurzuvae’s approval, said: ‘Having an option like Zurzuvae that can work at Day 15 and improve symptoms in as early as three days has the potential to make a profound difference in the lives of women with PPD.

Lindsay Clancy, 32, admitted killing her daughter Cora, 5 and son Dawson, 3, at the family home in Massachusetts and attacking baby Callan, who was eight months old. Mrs Clancy was suffering from postpartum depression
‘This milestone is hopefully a catalyst for more systemic change for women with PPD, including a much-needed increase in screening, diagnosis and treatment across physician specialties.’
PPD is a medical condition many women are struck down with after having a baby.
It involves intense feelings of sadness, anxiety and exhaustion that usually begin two to three days after the birth and can last months.
Other symptoms include insomnia, loss of appetite, intense irritability, and difficulty bonding with the baby.
In rare cases, an extreme disorder called postpartum psychosis may also develop after having a child.
Existing treatment includes typical antidepressant treatment or talking therapy, but traditional antidepressants can take weeks to kick in.
The condition affects around 10 million American women and has strong links to suicide after childbirth.
Suicide is the leading cause of death in the postpartum period, according to studies.
Lindsay Clancy, 32, from Duxbury in Massachusetts, admitted to strangling her three kids Cora, five, Dawson, three and Callan, eight months, to death before attempting to take her own life after suffering post-partum psychosis.
Mrs Clancy, who worked as a midwife, was reportedly suffering from post-partum depression, anxiety and psychosis.
Former Victoria’s Secret model Chrissy Teigen has also admitted to suffering postpartum depression after the birth of her first child, saying the months following childbirth were a ‘sad existence.’
It comes as a major new research paper that advises women to swap medication for exercise to treat postpartum depression has sparked outrage among women’s health experts.
The newly published analysis, by researchers at the China University of Geosciences, claimed to prove doing exercise like running at least twice a week is more effective than traditional treatments.