Psychedelic Drug in Early Stages of Development Could Have Potential for Postpartum Depression

In an interview with Pharmacy Times, Nathan Bryson, PhD, chief scientific officer of Field Trip Health, said the company's new psychedelic compound, FT-104, could have potential uses in the treatment of postpartum depression.

Bryson said patients with postpartum depression are in dire need of new treatments, since the 2 existing options either take 6 to 8 weeks to be effective or require a 3-day hospital stay for an infusion, which separates the mother from the infant and can result in more stress on both. Although it is still in early stages of development, Bryson said FT-104 would be administered over the course of about a day in a clinic environment, and would be out of the mother's system within 24 hours, allowing her to begin breastfeeding again. If successful, this drug could be a major development in the treatment paradigm for postpartum depression, Bryson said.