U.S. Food & Drug Administration Oks Johnson & Johnson’s Esketamine Nasal Spray for Depression

Pharmaceutical organization Janssen recently had its antidepressant treatment esketamine—a chemical cousin of anesthetic ketamine—approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Specifically, the approval is for Janssen’s SPRAVATO CIII nasal spray, together with an oral antidepressant, for adults living with treatment-resistant depression.

The approval comes after a recommendation made by a panel of outside experts during a join meeting of the Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee and Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee. The move is significant, as it represents the first major depression advance since Prozac. To date, three of five large trials . . .