Ketamine

A study led by scientists at Yale University has described the promising early-stage results of a new drug designed to mimic the rapid antidepressant effects of ketamine, but without that drug’s dissociative psychoactive qualities. The experimental drug is currently in early phases of human testing.

There remains a lot to learn about ketamine and its close chemical relatives when treating depression. A new study has shed more light on how it can stave off depressive symptoms, with experiments on mice revealing how it repairs busted circuits in the brain.​

Following the FDA’s approval of a ketamine-inspired nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression, new research is offering provocative insights into how the drug exerts such a rapid anti-depressant effect and points to new pathways for research into alternative drugs to treat depression.

The FDA has just approved esketamine for adults with treatment-resistant depression, in a landmark announcement marking the first new major depression treatment introduced for clinical use in over 30 years. The nasal spray is a close chemical relative to the controversial anesthetic ketamine.

A new nasal spray for depression, utilizing a drug called esketamine, has passed the last step on its way to final FDA approval. An advisory panel to the FDA voted in favor of the new drug’s risk/benefit profile meaning the ketamine-inspired treatment may be approved for use within the next month.

Two new studies suggest the psychiatric benefits of ketamine treatment may extend beyond just the targeting of depression. The research demonstrates ketamine may be helpful in targeting both anxiety- and substance abuse-related depression.

Ketamine has become the subject of intense research in recent years, as scientists hunt for new and improved treatments for depression. A new study has highlighted some worrying parallels between ketamine and opioids, raising red flags about the potentially addictive qualities of the drug. ​​