About 30% of patients in a British study reported a decrease in depressive symptoms after using the nasal spray. The medication uses esketamine and has shown markedly better results compared to traditional treatments.

According to the federal government, depression affects about 15.5% of Brazilians. Photo: Agência Brasil/ND

However, the drug, which reduces symptoms of depression, is not available to a large part of the population, since each bottle will cost about 2,500 reais. Information taken from the R7 portal.

Research methodology

The study was published in October by the New England Journal of Medicine and compared two types of combination therapy.

One group of patients received only a combination of SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and SNRIs (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) with long-acting quetiapine. The second group used a combination of SSRI/SNRI and esketamine nasal spray.

It was noted that 27.1% of patients in the esketamine nasal spray group experienced remission (disappearance of symptoms) by the eighth week, compared to only 17.6% in the long-acting quetiapine group.

A nasal spray may be a solution for those suffering from drug-resistant depression. Photo: Reproduction/ND

Moreover, the relapse rate at six months also favored patients taking esketamine. The nasal spray is known for its pain-relieving effect.

Additional studies will be required for publication to confirm these results and understand the benefits of this combination therapy in practice.

Esketamine in the treatment of depression

Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) already approved the use of esketamine at the end of 2020 “for the treatment of major depressive disorder in adults who have not responded adequately to at least two different antidepressants of adequate dose and duration.”