Esketamine closer to shaking up depression market

Janssen has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a drug that could offer something new in a therapy area that is pining for disruption.

The Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) unit is seeking FDA approval of esketamine nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression in adults.

If approved, it will provide the first new mechanism of action in 30 years to treat this debilitating mental illness, which affects nearly 300 million people globally, around a third of whom do not respond to currently available treatments.