Medication to treat postpartum depression approved by Health Canada
CBC
Health Canada has authorized a new drug to treat postpartum depression.
The regulator says zuranolone, a pill sold under the brand name Zurzuvae, is authorized in Canada to relieve symptoms of moderate or severe depression after childbirth.
"This is the first drug authorized in Canada for this purpose," Health Canada said in a statement to CBC News on Tuesday.
The medication is recommended for moderate to severe postpartum depression, with severity measured by the level of impairment in daily functioning.
Biogen, the drug's developer, says zuranolone is to be taken once a day for 14 days and will be available in Canada early in 2026, but governments and insurers would still need to determine coverage.
Health Canada said in an email it has done a "thorough review" of Biogen's evidence demonstrating "that the drug meets all criteria for safety, effectiveness and quality, and that its benefits outweigh its risks when used as intended."
The drug has also been authorized in the U.S., the U.K. and the European Union.
Dr. Ryan Van Lieshout, a psychiatry professor at McMaster University who wrote about the hope and hype surrounding the medication in 2023 when it was approved for use in the United States, told CBC News he hopes the drug's approval sheds light on the topic of postpartum depression.
"Hopefully, it reduces some self blame that people might have around why did I develop this?" said Van Lieshout, who was not involved in the studies. "There's a biological contributor to it, it's treatable."
Symptoms of postpartum depression can include depressed mood or severe mood swings, severe anxiety or panic attacks, intense irritability and anger, feelings of worthlessness, shame or guilt, difficulty bonding with the baby and overwhelming fatigue beyond the sleep deprivation new parents normally face.
About one-quarter (23 per cent) of mothers who recently gave birth reported symptoms consistent with postpartum depression or an anxiety disorder, according to Statistics Canada.
Unlike typical antidepressants that can take time to have an effect, zuranolone works faster and typically is taken for just 14 days, Van Lieshout said.
In a randomized clinical trial of zuranolone compared with a placebo, by day 15, about 27 per cent of participants showed no depressive symptoms.
In some participants, improvement was seen as early as the third day of treatment, and lasted throughout the 45 day study.
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