Depression and other mental ailments are the mental state that is devoid of positive emotions resulting in a number of physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral symptoms. Depression drugs are referred to medications that are used to treat mental disorders such as depression and social anxiety. This class of drugs help in the reduction in symptoms of depressive disorders by altering chemical imbalances of neurotransmitters in the brain. Depression can be associated with chemical imbalance. Neurotransmitters are the communication link between neurons in the brain. Antidepressants inhibit reuptake of neurotransmitters through selective receptors thereby increasing the concentration of specific neurotransmitter around the nerves in the brain. SSRI is the most common class of prescribed antidepressants across the globe.
There are various medications for the treatment of depression, which include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI), dopamine reuptake blocker, tetracyclic antidepressant, tricyclic antidepressants, and others. These drugs are used to treat major depressive disorder, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorders, anxiety disorder, among other disorders. Rising prevalence of major depressive disorders across the globe is one of the major factors responsible for the growth of depression drugs market. Various factors such as unhealthy lifestyle, peer pressure, lack of sleep, stressful work life, etc. induces depression thereby, there has been a growing demand for depression drugs globally. WHO has estimated that more than 264 million people across the globe are affected by depression. Furthermore, rising geriatric population is expected to boost depression drugs market as increasing age leads to various disorders. Rising awareness regarding mental health worldwide drives depression drugs market.
Companies are focusing on various collaborations to develop new anti-depressants with rapid action for patients resistant to treatment for depression. Major players involved in depression drugs market are Allergan, Plc, Novartis International AG, Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc., Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Eli Lilly and Company, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, and Pfizer Inc.
Trends and Future Outlook:
- Allergan plc and Gedeon Richter Plc. got approval from U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for VRAYLAR (cariprazine). This drug can be used to treat bipolar depression in adults
- Major depressive disorder is one of the most common mental disorders in the U.S. It was estimated that 17.3 million adults in the U.S. had at least one major depressive episode
- A study has shown that about 7% of pregnant women experience depression during pregnancy. This rate is higher in low and middle income countries.
