A phase 3 trial of an oral drug called zuranolone significantly improved symptoms of postpartum depression in just 15 days.
Improvements were also found during the third day of treatment, the 28th day and the 45th, according to results published July 26 in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
The trial included 196 patients experiencing postpartum depression, giving them either a placebo or the zuranolone for treatment over the course of 45 days.
Overall, researchers wrote that "zuranolone demonstrated significant improvements in depressive symptoms and was generally well tolerated, supporting the potential of zuranolone as a novel, rapid-acting oral treatment for PPD."
The only noted adverse effects from the drug included somnolence, dizziness and sedation.