INTRODUCTION
depressive disorder, depression, MDD, depressive disorders
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a mental health condition characterized by changes in affect and function.Antidepressant medication is the mainstay of treatment for depression.Antidepressants with novel mechanisms of action are being investigated as treatments for depressive disorders, including MDD. One such therapeutic agent is zuranolone, a synthetic allopregnanolone analog.Clinical evidence from US trials indicates that a 2‐week treatment with zuranolone has good safety and efficacy profiles in patients with MDD and PPD.Ethnicity, age, and food potentially impact pharmacokinetics (PKs) and, therefore, the efficacy or safety of a drug. We assessed the safety, tolerability, and PKs after single‐ and multiple‐dose administration of zuranolone in Japanese healthy adults (aged 20–55 years) and Japanese elderly (aged 65–75 years) and compared them with White healthy adults (aged 20–55 years). We also evaluated electroencephalography (EEG) changes in Japanese healthy adults after a single dose of zuranolone.