Alexis Hutcheon has been using the new spray for depression.
Share and Follow

A nasal spray that’s having life-changing impacts on people living with depression is set to be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), slashing the cost and improving accessibility.

It’s the first time in three decades that a new type of depression medicine has been added to the subsidised list, a decision that’s expected to help up to 30,000 Australians.

Alexis Hutcheon and Samuel Hockey live with depression that’s resistant to treatment.

Alexis Hutcheon has been using the new spray for depression.
Alexis Hutcheon has been using the new spray for depression. (Nine)

“It really has been a concoction of things that you trial and feel let down by,” Hockey said

That’s until they qualified for a clinical trial testing Esketamine.

“At the time it felt like a last resort option for me,” Hutcheon said.

“I started to notice that things improved almost immediately.”

Esketamine – or Spravato as it’s known on the market – is a nasal spray that increases glutamate levels in the brain.

That’s the chemical messenger that impacts a person’s mood and thought processes.

“About half the people who’ve had treatment-resistant depression experience a significant improvement in their quality of life, a significant reduction in their symptoms,” Professor Ian Hickie from the University of Sydney said.

The new spray for depression will be cheaper for all Aussies.
The new spray for depression will be cheaper for all Aussies. (Nine)

Consultant psychiatrist Associate Professor Liz Scott said: “We think that in some people it’s going to put them into remission, and long-term remission.”

Patients start with treatment twice a week then extend to weekly and fortnightly doses.

They have to fast for two hours before and be supervised after receiving the spray.

They also can’t drive for the rest of that day.

After years of testing it’s being added to the PBS.

Hutcheon called it a “gamechanger” and Hockley said it was “just a miracle”.

The spray will officially be listed on the PBS on Thursday, reducing the price from about $800 a week to $7.70 per dose for concession card holders, and $31.60 for everyone else.

Patients will also have to cover the cost of visiting a private clinic to be given the medication and be monitored.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like

Introducing a Revolutionary Tool to Combat Australia’s Leading Cause of Death

Lung cancer is Australia’s fifth most diagnosed cancer, but causes the greatest…
TEHRAN, IRAN - JULY 6: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY - MANDATORY CREDIT - 'IRANIAN LEADER PRESS OFFICE / HANDOUT' - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei makes his first public appearance since the war with Israel by attending an Ashura ceremony in Tehran, Iran, on July 6, 2025. Khamenei, who did not join the previous three nights of Muharram mourning events held at his residence on Palestine Street, participated

Iran’s top leader appears in public for the first time since the beginning of Iran-Israel conflict

Khamenei’s absence during the war suggested heavy security for the Iranian leader,…
This flood-hit community needed a miracle to save its rodeo. It found one

This community hit by floods needed a miracle to save its rodeo – and it found one

It’s the annual rodeo that puts the small farming community of Stonehenge,…

A majority of older Australians support Labor’s proposal to tax supers exceeding $3 million

More than half of older Australians support increasing taxes on high superannuation…
Rows of bottled water.

Is Australia Likely to Ban Tap Water like France?

Residents in a small French town have been banned from drinking tap…
Concerns grow for former Sydney society 'It' girl and celebrity stylist Kelly Smythe after she was accused of shocking forgery scam

Growing Concern for Celebrity Stylist Kelly Smythe Following Accusations of an Alarming Forgery Scam

Friends of Sydney socialite and stylist Kelly Smythe are growing concerned in…
Premier's pledge after visiting fire-damaged synagogue

Leader’s promise after visiting synagogue damaged by fire

Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan has vowed to provide all necessary support to…
Tammy Hembrow leaves fans confused as she's seen wearing her diamond wedding ring following split from husband Matt Zukowski

Tammy Hembrow wears wedding ring after breakup with Matt Zukowski – causing confusion among fans

Tammy Hembrow is heading for divorce after splitting from her husband of…