The US’ FDA approved the first daily-use pill to treat postpartum depression, after studies showed the medication resulted in “significantly more improvement” among patients whose postpartum depression was untreated in a placebo group, according to an FDA statement. Proponents of its use say that it will increase postpartum depression awareness as it can treat this condition that affects one in seven women. As a fast acting neuroactive steroid, Zurzuvae needs to be taken for two weeks, which is key for new mothers, as postpartum depression can disrupt the maternal-infant bond and can also have consequences for the child’s physical and emotional development, said Tiffany Farchione, a director at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times also have the story.

It’s no magic pill: New mothers — affected by postpartum or not — still need to be supported in other ways, especially as maternal depression can be affected by lower socio-economic status, education levels and exposure to trauma and gender-based violence, particularly among women of color. Support in the form of longer maternity leave, flexible work schedules and universal health care needs to be implemented, says Judite Blanc, assistant professor at Miami University Miller School of Medicine. And more at-home options need to be on offer, with current postpartum treatment limited to an IV injection that must be administered in a health-care center.


Did you get in trouble at work because of your Twitter… ahem, X… activity? Musk wants to pay your legal bills: X — the social media platform formerly known as Twitter — will pay the legal bills and sue on behalf of individuals who have been unfairly treated by their employer due to content they have liked or posted on X, CEO Elon Musk said overnight. The company will not place a limit on the cost, Musk said. The b’naire seems to believe that nothing changes behavior in the US faster than the threat of a public lawsuit, claiming “we won’t just sue, it will be extremely loud and we will go after the boards of directors of the companies too,” Reuters reports.