A ketamine-derived nasal spray is now available for the millions of Americans living with severe depression. The hallucinogenic drug is an option when traditional treatment isn’t working, but it’s not without risk.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the nasal spray Spravato for the treatment of major depression in people who have not responded to at least two oral antidepressants.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded approval for Johnson & Johnson’s nasal spray, Spravato, to allow it to be used as a standalone treatment for patients with severe depression, the company said on Tuesday.

Johnson & Johnson has announced the FDA’s approval of a first-of-its-kind, esketamine nasal spray called Spravato for the standalone treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), PTSD, and similar psychiatric conditions.

The announcement was welcome news for those with major depressive disorder, which affects an estimated 8.3% of the adult population.

Johnson & Johnson's ketamine-derived nasal spray has been approved as a standalone treatment to fight depression for those who had an inadequate response to oral antidepressants.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first-ever stand-alone nasal spray to treat drug-resistant depression. Johnson & Johnson's Spravato was approved to treat a major depressive disorder,

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Johnson & Johnson's nasal spray, Spravato (esketamine), as the first standalone therapy for adults suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) who have not responded adequately to at least two oral antidepressants.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the antidepressant nasal spray Spravato as a standalone treatment for depression in adults.

This decision expands the indication of esketamine, offering new hope for patients with treatment-resistant depression(1 Trusted Source FDA approves new nasal spray medication for treatment ...

Share on Pinterest The FDA has approved an esketamine nasal spray for the treatment of depression cases that do not respond to other therapeutic approaches. Image credit: Koldunov/Getty Images.

(HealthDay News) — The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Spravato (esketamine) CIII nasal spray for adults living with major depressive disorder who have had an inadequate response to at least 2 oral antidepressants, according to a news release issued by Johnson & Johnson.