Pharmacotherapeutic group: Other antidepressants, ATC code: N06AX31
Mechanism of action
Zuranolone is an orally bioavailable, synthetic neuroactive steroid (NAS) with rapid antidepressant effects. Like the endogenous NAS, allopregnanolone, zuranolone exhibits potent positive allosteric modulation of the gamma-aminobutyric acid-A (GABAA) receptor. Zuranolone enhances GABA activity at synaptic and extrasynaptic receptors and has also been shown to increase cell surface expression of GABAA receptors in in vitro studies. Extrasynaptic delta‑subunit-containing GABAA receptors mediate tonic inhibitory currents that play a critical role in controlling network activity in the brain, including synchronisation within and across neural networks. Brain network activity is regulated via a balance of inhibitory (e.g., GABAergic) and excitatory (e.g., glutamatergic) signalling inputs. Abnormalities in brain network activity have been associated with symptoms of depression. Physiological fluctuations in NAS during pregnancy and the peri-partum period are associated with changes in GABAergic signalling, which in susceptible women may result in dysregulated neural network responses and the development of PND. Zuranolone may exert antidepressant effects by enhancing GABAergic inhibition, in particular tonic inhibition, and may provide a mechanism to normalize function in brain networks in regions dysregulated during a major depressive episode (MDE).
Pharmacodynamic effects
Cardiac electrophysiology
At two times the MRHD, zuranolone does not cause clinically significant QTc interval prolongation nor any other clinically significant effect on other electrocardiography (ECG) parameters.
Clinical efficacy and safety
The efficacy of zuranolone for the treatment of women with PND was demonstrated in two randomised, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo controlled, multi‑centre studies. In study 217‑PPD‑301, SKYLARK, zuranolone 50 mg was taken orally once daily. In study 217-PPD-201B, ROBIN, zuranolone 30 mg (another capsule formulation with a higher relative bioavailability) was taken orally once daily. Subjects enrolled in the studies were to have a total score ≥ 26 at baseline in the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating (HAMD-17) scale. Subjects also met criteria for MDE with peripartum onset as per DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 5th edition) criteria. The criteria were limited for both studies to onset of symptoms in the third trimester or within 4 weeks of delivery. Subjects started treatment up to 12 months following childbirth. Subjects were followed for a minimum of 4 weeks after the 14-day treatment course.
Table 2. Population characteristics
| Parameter | 217-PPD-301† | 217-PPD-201B§ |
| Age (years) – mean (min, max) | 30 (19, 44) | 28 (18, 44) |
| Taking a stable dose of oral antidepressants* for at least 30 days before baseline (%) | 15 | 19 |
| Race (%) | White | 70 | 56 |
| Black or African American | 22 | 41 |
| Asian | 1 | 1 |
| Other/Mixed | 7 | 2 |
| Ethnicity (%) | Hispanic or Latino | 39 | 23 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) - mean (min, max) | 30 (19, 45) | 31 (17, 56) |
| Subjects with PND** onset following, and within the first 4 weeks of, childbirth (%) | 67 | 58 |
| HAMD-17 total score at baseline – mean (min, max) | 28.7 (21, 36) | 28.6 (26, 40) |
* Antidepressants are identified as medicinal products belonging to ATC level 3 code N06A, medicinal products used to treat depression and related mood disorders.
** The term "postnatal depression" is used to represent postpartum depression (i.e., MDE with peripartum onset, or peripartum depression).
† Full Analysis Set
§ Efficacy set
Both studies demonstrated statistical superiority for the primary endpoint, change from baseline at Day 15 in depressive symptoms as measured by the HAMD‑17 total score, compared to placebo. There was consistency of treatment effect for the potentially important risk factors of age, body mass index, subjects with PND onset within the first 4 weeks following delivery, and race, with all favouring zuranolone over placebo. Additionally, consistency in the treatment effect was observed by baseline depression severity, as assessed by MADRS (moderate [45.9% and 40.7% of participants in 217-PPD-301 and 217PPD-201B respectively], all others severe), with both the moderate and severe subgroups favouring zuranolone over placebo.
Table 3. Primary endpoint results: change from baseline at Day 15 in the HAMD-17 total score
| Study number | Treatment group | N | Mean baseline score (SD) | LS mean change from baseline (SE) | Placebo-adjusted difference (95% CI) p-value†§ |
| 217-PPD‑301* | Zuranolone 50 mg | 98 | 28.6 (2.49) | -15.6 (0.82) | ‑4.0 (-6.3, -1.7) p = 0.0007 |
| Placebo | 97 | 28.8 (2.34) | -11.6 (0.82) |
| 217-PPD‑201B* | Zuranolone 30 mg‡ | 76 | 28.4 (2.09) | -17.8 (1.04) | -4.2 (-6.9, -1.5) p = 0.0028 |
| Placebo | 74 | 28.8 (2.32) | -13.6 (1.07) |
HAMD-17: Hamilton depression rating scale; N: number of subjects in the Full Analysis Set (Study 217-PPD-301) and the Efficacy Set (Study 217-PPD-201B); SD: standard deviation; LS: least squares; SE: standard error; CI: confidence interval. A negative sign indicates clinically meaningful statistically significant improvement on postpartum depressive symptoms.
* Results from the 4-item HAM-D subscales (Core, Anxiety, Bech-6, and Maier) supported the results from the HAMD‑17 total score for these studies and results from the HAMD‑17 individual item scores showed that the associated symptoms of major depressive episodes were improved with zuranolone treatment, including core symptoms related to mood.
† Among participants with HAMD-17 response at Day 15, three (5.7%) subjects in the 50 mg zuranolone group experienced relapse (defined as at least 2 consecutive HAMD‑17 total scores ≥ 20 after Day 15), and none experienced rebound (defined as any HAMD‑17 total score greater than or equal to baseline after Day 15).
§ Mixed model for repeated measures (MMRM) was used for the analysis
‡ Based on exposure estimates in the two studies, the 30 mg formulation administered in 217-PPD-201B is approximately equivalent to 35 mg of zuranolone.
Table 4. Results for secondary endpoints in clinical study 217-PPD-301
| Time point | Zuranolone 50 mg (N = 98) | Placebo (N = 97) | Placebo-adjusted difference (95% CI) p-value |
| Mean baseline score (SD) | LS mean change from baseline (SE) | Mean baseline score (SD) | LS mean change from baseline (SE) |
| Endpoint: change from baseline at Days 3, 28, and 45 in the HAMD-17 total score*† |
| Day 3 | 28.6 (2.49) | -9.5 (0.70) | 28.8 (2.34) | -6.1 (0.71) | -3.4 (-5.4, -1.4) p = 0.0008 |
| Day 28 | -16.3 (0.88) | -13.4 (0.88) | -2.9 (-5.4, -0.5) p = 0.0203 |
| Day 45§ | -17.9 (0.90) | -14.4 (0.90) | -3.5 (-6.0, -1.0) p = 0.0067 |
| Endpoint: change from baseline at Day 15 in the CGI-S score† |
| Day 15 | 5.0 (0.66) | -2.2 (0.14) | 4.9 (0.58) | -1.6 (0.14) | -0.6 (-0.9, -0.2) p = 0.0052 |
CGI-S: Clinical Global Impression Severity scale; HAMD-17: Hamilton depression rating scale; N: number of subjects in the Full Analysis Set; SD: standard deviation; LS: least squares; SE: standard error; CI: confidence interval. Negative sign indicates clinically meaningful statistically significant improvement on postpartum depressive symptoms.
* Median time to first HAMD‑17 response was 9 days in the zuranolone 50 mg group compared with 43 days in the placebo group. HAMD‑17 response is defined as a 50% or greater reduction from baseline in HAMD‑17 total score. Days are calculated from the date of the first dose. Subjects who are not responders are censored at the day of the last available HAMD‑17 evaluation.
† Mixed model for repeated measures (MMRM).
§ Observed effect in HAMD‑17 total score relative to baseline was also maintained through follow-up to Day 45, p‑value < 0.05.
The robustness of the impact of zuranolone on depressive symptoms was supported by the directional consistency of additional endpoints including 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) in both studies (217‑PPD‑301 and 217‑PPD‑201B) and SF-36 (217‑PPD‑201B).
Paediatric population
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has deferred the obligation to submit the results of studies with zuranolone in one or more subsets of the paediatric population in the treatment of postnatal depression (see section 4.2 for information on paediatric use).