News shocked fans and came as US health authorities reported sharp spike in suicide rates across country since beginning of century. Julie Goldstein Grumet, a behavioral health expert from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, said besides Bourdain and Spade, 122 people in the United States took their lives by suicide each day last week.J&J’s esketamine targets treatment-resistant depression.Dr. regulators on a treatment for post-partum depression by the end of the year. “Insurers say ‘why should we pay more for a new treatment?’”Developing antidepressants is risky.Allergan Plc (AGN. Food and Drug Administration approval of esketamine this year.The news shocked fans and came as U.S. Middle-aged adults _ ages 45 to 64 _ had the largest rate increase.N) is the only large pharmaceutical company making a major investment in a new antidepressant, Tracy said. Last month, the company acquired another depression drug from its collaborator Aptinyx. Many were never even diagnosed with a mental illness.. It is similar to ketamine, which is used as an anesthetic and to relieve pain, and often abused as a recreational party drug with the street nickname Special K. (Photo: AP) Chicago: The suicides this week of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade have cast fresh light on the need for more effective treatments for major depression, an area that has been largely abandoned by big pharmaceutical companies.

That compares with the industry’s work on some 1,100 experimental cancer drugs, which can command some of the highest prices.Dr. report released in June 2018 found an uptick in suicide rates in nearly every state since 1999. Smaller players include Sage Therapeutics. health authorities reported a sharp spike in suicide rates across the country since the beginning of the century.S.With the availability of numerous cheap generic antidepressants, many of which offer only marginal benefit, developing medicines for depression is a tough sell. “Standard antidepressants can take weeks to work. In addition, once approved, antidepressants require a large sales force to reach psychiatrists as well as primary care providers.Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.Drugmakers have 140 therapies in development targeting mental health issues, including 39 aimed at depression, according to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America trade group.The drug has breakthrough therapy designation from the FDA, with clinical trial results expected in early 2019. “Psychiatry has become a disfavored area for investment,” said Harry Tracy, whose newsletter NeuroPerspective tracks developments in drug treatments for psychiatric problems.N) is developing rapastinel, a fast-acting intravenous antidepressant the company purchased in 2015. Husseini Manji, global head of neuroscience at J&J’s Janssen unit, said there is great need for new treatments as about half of people with depression fail to respond to current therapies. A U.O), which expects a decision from U.Another impediment is the difficulty of conducting early depression research on animals that could form a basis for trials in people. Fashion designer Kate Spade and chef Anthony Bourdain in New York.The company expects to file for U.He believes esketamine, a rapid-acting nasal spray, will narrow the time it takes for patients to see a benefit. Bourdain was 61 and Spade was 55. They really are not useful in a crisis situation,” said Carla Canuso, who is leading J&J’s effort testing the drug in people deemed at imminent risk for suicide, which is most commonly associated with depression. Patients in clinical trials often show a big placebo response, masking the efficacy of the drug being tested. “We’re missing opportunities to screen people for the risk of suicide,” she said.S. “This has been a big challenge to translate over to human clinical trials,” said Caroline Ko, project leader Taizhou Chaotian Pneumatic Tools Co, Ltd. of NewCures, a newly formed program at Northwestern University aimed at reducing the risk of investment in treatments for depression, pain, Parkinson’s and other diseases.S. They called for a comprehensive approach to addressing depression and other contributing factors.