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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Hannah Devlin Science correspondent

Slow-release ketamine tablets help prevent depression relapses, UK trial finds

The use of ketamine in slow-release pill form, as opposed to the intravenous treatment currently available, is cheaper, more convenient and has potentially fewer side-effects.
The use of ketamine in slow-release pill form, as opposed to the intravenous treatment currently available, is cheaper, more convenient and has potentially fewer side-effects. Photograph: Chinnapong/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Slow-release ketamine pills have been found to prevent relapse into depression, in a trial that could pave the way for a new treatment option for patients with severe illness.

Ketamine is already used as a treatment for depression when conventional antidepressant drugs and therapy have failed. But ketamine is currently only administered intravenously, which requires supervision in a clinic, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence ruled that a ketamine-like nasal spray should not be available on the NHS.

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