Janssen nasal spray is recognized in the US as a stand-alone treatment for depression

The nasal spray has been available on the American market since 2019. But it always had to be used in combination with an oral antidepressant. The American FDA has now given the green light for the stand-alone use of Spravato in adults with severe and difficult-to-treat depression.

The nasal spray is therefore the first ‘stand-alone’ therapy for persistent depression, American media report. Spravato is on its way to becoming a blockbuster. These are medicines that generate at least 1 billion annually, in the case of Spravato this amounts to 780 million dollars in the first nine months of 2024.

Patients are still allowed to use Spravato in combination with pills, but can now also do so without it, for example if they suffer from side effects from the pills. “The number of patients who benefit from the nasal spray could therefore increase,” said Bill Martin, head of neuroscience at J&J.