The announcement was welcome news for those with major depressive disorder, affecting an estimated 8.3% of the adult population.

An emerging treatment for clinical depression has reached an important milestone. This week, the Food and Drug Administration approved Johnson & Johnson’s ketamine-based nasal spray, Spravato, as a standalone therapy for cases of depression that haven’t responded to other options.

Johnson & Johnson's ketamine-derived nasal spray has been approved as a standalone treatment to fight depression for those who had an inadequate response to oral antidepressants.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded approval for Johnson & Johnson’s nasal spray, Spravato, to allow it to be used as a standalone treatment for patients with severe depression, the company said on Tuesday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Johnson & Johnson's ketamine-based nasal spray Spravato to treat adults with major depressive disorder, the company said on Tuesday. The approval paves the way for use of Spravato in patients whose disease has stopped responding to at least two oral anti-depressants.

Here's what MDs want you to know about Spravato, the latest FDA-approved standalone nasal spray for depression.

Johnson & Johnson has announced the FDA’s approval of a first-of-its-kind, esketamine nasal spray called Spravato for the standalone treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), PTSD, and similar psychiatric conditions.

"Treatment-resistant depression can be very complicated, especially for patients who do not respond to oral antidepressants or cannot tolerate them. For too long, health care providers have had few options to offer patients much-needed symptom improvement,

Ketamine’s promising potential to ease depression is one of the reasons why its use has recently skyrocketed in the US and elsewhere. However, bear in mind that the science isn’t fully settled and, like any prescription drug, it should be used with caution and under professional supervision.