Nasal Spray Is A New Antidepressant Option For People At High Risk of Suicide

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a variant of the anesthetic and party drug ketamine for suicidal patients with major depression.

The drug is a nasal spray called Spravato and it contains esketamine, a chemical cousin of ketamine.

In 2019, the FDA approved Spravato for patients with major depressive disorder who hadn't responded to other treatments. Now, the agency is adding patients who are having suicidal thoughts or have recently attempted to harm themselves or take their own lives.

"Spravato is the first approved antidepressant medication that's been able to demonstrate a reduction in symptoms of major depressive disorder within 24 hours after the first dose," says Dr. Michelle Kramer, a psychiatrist and vice president of U.S. neuroscience, medical affairs at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, which makes the drug. Janssen is part of Johnson & Johnson.