Patients with postpartum depression (PPD) can soon take advantage of a new—and pricey—oral treatment.

Sage Therapeutics executives this week teased the upcoming release of Zurzuvae (zuranolone), which is expected to be made available to adults with PPD in December and more broadly in early 2024. Developed in collaboration with Biogen, the first oral treatment for the condition—which affects an estimated one in seven women, if not more due to underreporting—will have a commercial acquisition price of $15,900 for the full 14-day treatment.

But the price is still lower than Sage’s Zulresso (brexanolone), an intravenous (IV) injection used to treat PPD. The treatment is administered over 60 hours, often in a clinical setting, and costs about $34,000.

Despite the high sticker price for the new oral drug, Sage executives said they’re working with Biogen leaders to ensure anyone prescribed Zurzuvae can access the treatment with few restrictions and a low to no copay, regardless of the patient’s financial situation. That includes working with governmental, nationwide, and regional payers, as well as support programs that offer financial assistance to eligible patients

Keep reading here.—SY

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At the height of the pandemic, demand for mental health services skyrocketed, and companies offering virtual behavioral health services saw an influx of new customers.

One such company was LifeStance Health, founded in 2017, which saw its valuation catapult during Covid-19: In 2021, the hybrid mental health provider went public with a $7.5 billion valuation. Today, the company’s market cap is $2.2 billion, and it operates around 600 clinics in 33 states and employs approximately 6,100 clinicians.

In its most recent earnings announcement on November 8, LifeStance reported $262.9 million in revenue for Q3 2023—a 21% increase over the same quarter last year—and a net loss of $61.6 million.

In the early pandemic days, LifeStance named Pablo Pantaleoni as chief digital officer, and tasked him with overseeing the company’s tech teams. Pantaleoni told Healthcare Brew that his goal is to leverage tech to improve access to mental health care.

Keep reading here.—MA

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Eli Lilly’s blockbuster injectable GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist) drug has officially entered the obesity treatment market.

The FDA on Wednesday approved Zepbound (tirzepatide)—which is sold under Mounjaro as a Type 2 diabetes treatment—for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or body mass indexes (BMIs) of 30+ in addition to diet and exercise. The agency also approved Zepbound’s use in overweight adults with BMIs of at least 27 and who have at least one weight-related health condition, like high blood pressure or Type 2 diabetes.

With obesity affecting an estimated 42% of US adults, John Sharretts, director of the Division of Diabetes, Lipid Disorders, and Obesity in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said the drug’s approval “addresses an unmet medical need.”

Zepbound is set to become available in the US in six doses (2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, 15 mg) by the end of 2023 with a list price of approximately $1,060 for a one-month supply, Lilly executives said in a Wednesday release. The expected cost, they noted, is lower than the $1,349 list price for a 2.4 mg injection of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, a semaglutide that has also been approved for weight loss.

Keep reading here.—SY

Do you work in healthcare or have information about the industry that we should know? Email Shannon at [email protected]. For confidential conversations, ask Shannon for her number on Signal.

Today’s top healthcare reads.

Stat: 3%. That’s how much the US infant mortality rate rose in 2022—the biggest increase in two decades—according to the CDC. (the Associated Press)

Quote: “Obtaining and maintaining a job is a critical part of any recovery journey. A job offers stability for tens of millions of Americans in recovery, or those struggling with substance use disorder, and their families and communities.”—Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, on the need for “recovery-friendly” workplaces (Stat News)

Read: Many patients are left in the dark as to why an insurer denied their health insurance claim—even though federal law requires them to respond to written inquiries and hand over claim files in a timely manner. (ProPublica)

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