New drug that beats ‘baby blues’ in just 48 hours is on way

THOUSANDS of women are set to benefit from the first drug designed to tackle postnatal depression.

Tests show the condition goes into remission in seven in ten new mothers who take a single dose of Brexanolone. The result far exceeds the power of any antidepressant.

The US Food and Drug Administration yesterday granted approval for the medication – a hormonal treatment which psychiatrists say targets the neurological root cause of postnatal depression.

Officials in Europe are also looking at the drug – and have given its licence application priority status because the medicine targets an ‘unmet medical need’.

Psychiatrists last night described the drug as a game-changer that provides an urgently needed rapid and effective treatment for postnatal depression.

Every year, around 15% of new mothers in Ireland experience postnatal depression.

Drug treatment usually involves antidepressant medication which can take up to two or more weeks to have an impact. Whereas Brexanolone works within 48 hours.

Dr Trudi Seneviratne, chairman of the perinatal faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK, said last night: ‘This is a really exciting opportunity for an alternative medication for postnatal depression.

‘When women are so severely ill, they need to be treated as quickly as possible and get back to looking after their baby.

‘Postnatal depression affects the mother, the baby and the partner – anything that can speed up recovery is really to be welcomed.’

Most antidepressants work by boosting the brain’s uptake of the ‘happy chemical’ serotonin effectively tackling the symptom rather than the cause. Brexanolone, however, specifically targets the ‘GABA’ receptors in the brain – part of a sensitive neurological system that can be put out of kilter in the aftermath of pregnancy.