Feinstein doc behind postpartum pill

Dr. Kristina Deligiannidis research key to development of now FDA-approved treatment

BY KARINA KOVAC

In a pivotal decision, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval for the first at-home oral pill to relieve postpartum depression after decades of preclinical research nationwide and the leadership role played by a doctor at Northwell Health.

The medication, zuranolone, is aimed at mitigating perinatal or postpartum depression, a condition known as PPD afflicting approximately one in eight women and the most common complication of childbirth.

Dr. Kristina M. Deligiannidis, a professor at the Institute of Behavioral Science at Northwell Health’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in Manhasset, is a key contributor to the development of the pill. She is also director of women’s behavioral health at Northwell’s Zucker Hillside Hospital.

Deligiannidis said the commitment to continue researching and the collaboration effort with scientists across the nation helped make the pill a possibility.

“Years of dedicated research and collaborative endeavors with fellow scientists nationwide have culminated in an innovative, easily accessible treatment avenue for women confronting postpartum and perinatal depression,” she said.

“This momentous FDA decision has the potential to reverse the trend of underdiagnosed and undertreated PPD, promising assistance to a larger cohort of women in dire need.”

The pill is expected to launch as soon as October. It is prescribed to be taken once a day for two weeks.

Shortly following the conclusion