Norway Approves Public Funding for Generic Ketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression

This morning, in a world-first move, Norwegian regulators approved national reimbursement for the off-label use of generic ketamine for treatment-resistant depression.

Last month, we covered the publication of a health technology assessment (HTA) of intravenous (IV) ketamine for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). (See Norway’s Health System Considers Funding Off-Label Ketamine for Treatment-Resistant Depression.)

There, we noted that the country’s new medicines regulator, the Decision-Making Forum for New Methods (Beslutningsforum), was expected to provide an opinion on whether to introduce IV ketamine for TRD in the country’s public specialist health service in August.

Indeed, that decision came today (PDF), at an early-morning meeting of the Beslutningsforum, where the ketamine for TRD proposal was the second of more than a dozen ‘new methods’ to be deliberated on by the government body.

The Beslutningsforum decided that ketamine may be reimbursed for use in TRD, effective immediately.

With that, Norway becomes the first country to reimburse generic ketamine for treatment-resistant depression at the national level.

Following today’s decision, the treatment will be available, including on an outpatient basis, with appropriate patients across the European country entitled to access IV ketamine for TRD regardless of where they live.

Here, we break the news, dive a little deeper, and speak to those involved...