"Insurers' Response to $16,000 Postpartum Depression Drug"
The new postpartum depression drug zuranolone, priced at $15,900 for a 14-day regimen, faces uncertainty in coverage by private health insurers, with most yet to publish criteria for when they will cover it. Advocates are concerned about potential restrictive policies, such as requiring patients to try and fail standard antidepressants before being eligible for zuranolone. Kaiser Permanente's previous stringent criteria for its predecessor, brexanolone, led to regulatory actions and policy changes, offering hope for more patient-friendly policies for zuranolone. Insurers' policies for zuranolone will be written in a shifting regulatory environment around mental health treatment, with increased scrutiny on compliance with mental health parity laws.
