The FDA Finally Approved Spravato as a Standalone Treatment

When I first found out that I had to stay on an oral antidepressant throughout the entire course of the esketamine nasal spray Spravato treatment, I thought it was a joke. Here’s a medication specifically designed for people with treatment-resistant depression—for those of us who’ve already tried and failed with antidepressants—and yet the FDA said you must stay on those same failed medications to even qualify.

For a lot of us, SSRIs and other antidepressants weren’t just ineffective—they were a nightmare. The weight gain, sexual dysfunction, emotional numbness, and countless other side effects made our lives miserable. And the FDA’s response? “We don’t care how much you’re suffering—if you want Spravato, you’ll keep taking the meds that aren’t working.”

Well, great news!

The FDA has finally changed the rules: you no longer have to be on an antidepressant to receive Spravato treatment. This decision came after a large study showed that Spravato on its own worked better than a placebo. It’s a long-overdue shift, acknowledging what many of us suspected all along—Spravato doesn’t need to be tied to medications that weren’t working in the first place.

In other news, during the first nine months of 2024, Johnson & Johnson reported approximately $780 million in revenue from Spravato sales.