In a recently published study publicized in JAMA Psychiatry, a team of American researchers from New York, North Carolina, and Massachusetts tested the use of an experimental treatment known as zuranolone.
According to their findings, researchers found that zuranolone could be effective for treating symptoms associated with postpartum depression (PPD).
The study investigated its use among women in early to mid-adulthood, between the ages of 18 and 45, with no later than six months of postpartum.
Researchers used the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17) score to measure symptoms upon the use of zuranolone. 76 participants were given a placebo, while 77 received 30 mg of zuranolone, taken each evening for a span of two weeks.
The investigation unveiled a day 15 improvement based on their measurements using the HAMD-17 scores, comparing the drug’s use with placebo.
All in all, the randomized clinical trial of zuranolone may be an effective means for treating postpartum depression, with further testing of the treatment necessary.
“In this randomized clinical trial, zuranolone improved the core symptoms of depression as measured by HAMD-17 scores in women with PPD and was generally well tolerated, supporting further development of zuranolone in the treatment of PPD,” researchers determined in their JAMA report.
