"New types of drugs for depression and other psychiatric disorders are few and far between—and a large number of companies have scaled back or dropped development of this class of pharmaceuticals".
Okay, here we go...first off, ketamine works for depressed patients in over 8 out of 10 times and we are seeing significant results from patient and doctors testimonials to that effect. So in fine bureaucratic fashion the pharmacological industrial complex turns their collective backs to this breakthrough therapy because they have to spend too much money to develop a drug like ketamine.
Why is this an issue..ketamine...just use it right? Well not so fast, there are a few hurdles that have been put up to slow down the use for this compound. If pharams would have indicated this drug back in the mid 1960's for depression when it was originally indicated for use as an anesthetic, they would be "gazillioniares" today and many people's lives would have been vastly improved and surely saved.
To be clear, this writer does have a dog in this hunt as my company works with psychiatrists and other providers to integrate this therapy into their already break neck busy practices without causing a literal internal meltdown by their staff. I am on the sidelines watching this train wreck happen every day when doctors refuse to even discuss this or find reasons why they are too busy to actually engage to help someone who is looking for something that will help them...
So where is the rub? As a business man, my view is the medical community should wake up and smell the coffee about this therapy before one more life is taken needlessly because an SSRI or other therapeutic talk session ends in disaster...we have an effective, safe and fast method to treat refractory depression. Why is this not being embraced? Other FDA approved therapies don't work half as well and they are 10x's more expensive to implement (sorry TMS providers).
I can tell you why the light of ketamine is not shining bright...the bushel basket called money to offer this therapy as it exists today, isn't there to make it financially worth while...sorry, this coffee stinks. I am all about making a profit, but this approach by the medical, insurance and government industrial complex are completely ignoring the mutual co-existence of safety, efficacy and profit.
Call me, reply and we can even talk about it. Every doctor who treats depression should be aware of how ketamine is working to help people...If not, that is fine, but from where I sit, it is a shame the medical establishment is failing to hold up their end of the deal and that is to do well by the patient and not pad their burgeoning bottom lines.