A recent clinical trial conducted by the National Institute of Health in the US has found that a new experimental drug may be able to treat depression symptoms within minutes, as opposed to most current prescription anti-depressants that can take weeks to have an effect.

The drug, called AZD6765, works in a similar manner to ketamine (another experimental drug being used to treat depression), but with much fewer side-effects. The study was published earlier this month in the Biological Psychiatry Journal. It can be read here.

Carlos Zarate, M.D., of the NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health:

Our findings serve as a proof of concept that we can tap into an important component of the glutamate pathway to develop a new generation of safe, rapid-acting practical treatments for depression.

There is however still some work to be done before this new medication hits the shelves. One problem so far identified with AZD6765 is that its effects lasts for only a short period of time. Another is that it didn’t work with all the patients it was tested on, according to Drug Discovery and Development magazine:

About 32% of 22 treatment-resistant depressed patients infused with AZD6765 showed a clinically meaningful antidepressant response at 80 minutes after infusion that lasted for about half an hour — with residual antidepressant effects lasting two days for some.

[Source: Business Insider]