On Tuesday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Johnson & Johnson's hallucinogenic drug esketamine (brand name Spravato) nasal spray as a "monotherapy" treatment for major depressive disorder. The drug was first approved for in 2019 but patients also to be taking an antidepressant at the same time. Now, esketamine can be used alone. Esketamine is J&J's patented version of ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic with psychedelic properties that was first synthesized in 1962. Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated ketamine's efficacy in alleviating depression.
Jane C Hu writes at The Microdose:
Esketamine is a component of generic ketamine, which is a 50/50 mixture of the enantiomer molecules esketamine and arketamine. (Enantiomers are pairs of molecules that are mirror images of one another.) Pharmaceutical companies cannot patent generic ketamine for depression, but Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, patented esketamine, which it named Spravato. The cost of the two drugs differ significantly. Per treatment session, the cost of generic ketamine is less than a few dollars, whereas Spravato costs $600 or $900 per session, depending on dosage. Those figures do not include the cost of associated medical services.
Previously:
• Tripping on ketamine lifts depression in fish
• Ketamine helps depressed patients temporarily experience pleasure again
• Dr. Bronner's soap company is now offering ketamine therapy to its employees
• Dissociative psychedelic Ketamine may help suicidal children
• Doctors describe what it's like giving ketamine to patients: apparently Enya helps