Anthony Rodgers, Dilara Bahceci, Christopher G Davey, Mary Lou Chatterton, Nick Glozier, Malcolm Hopwood, Colleen Loo
In this paper, the case study of ketamine as a new treatment for severe depression is used to outline the challenges of repurposing established medicines and we suggest potential solutions. The antidepressant effects of generic racemic ketamine were identified over 20 years ago, but there were insufficient incentives for commercial entities to pursue its registration, or support for non-commercial entities to fill this gap. As a result, the evaluation of generic ketamine was delayed, piecemeal, uncoordinated, and insufficient to gain approval...
October 13, 2023: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry