Drug Discovery and Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Voices
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

The pandemic is fueling the demand for natural alternatives to antidepressants

By Brian Buntz | July 19, 2022

stock art of someone looking depressed depression need for antidepressants

[Image courtesy of Pixabay]

The pandemic, climate change, rapid inflation and a surge in violence are contributing to a mental health crisis.

Against that backdrop, demand for antidepressants, anti-anxiety and anti-insomnia drugs is booming. In 2021, there were more than 337 million antidepressant prescriptions in the U.S., according to data from IQVIA. In the first four months of 2022, more than one in five Americans over the age of 18 had a prescription for a mental health condition, according to CDC data. In addition, roughly 40% of adults had experienced symptoms of either depression or anxiety in the past four weeks.

Illicit drug use has also surged during the pandemic. In 2020, almost 300 people used drugs ranging from amphetamines to heroin, according to a UN report summarized by Reuters. In addition, some 209 million used cannabis.

As a consequence of this surge in prescription and illicit drug use, there is growing concern about their side effects, said Inesa Ponomariovaite, the founder of Nesa’s Hemp, which sells cannabidiolic acid (CBDa) extract. At the same time, a growing number of consumers are looking for complementary/alternative medicine products, which can prompt skepticism from conservative physicians.

Inesa Ponomariovaite

Inesa Ponomariovaite

In any event, a growing number of consumers are interested in obtaining natural therapies for conditions such as anxiety and depression. The overall brain-health supplement market could be worth $19.7 billion by 2030.

“The problem is what the cannabis plant has to offer in the purest form is not what the whole [CBD] industry is selling,” Ponomariovaite said. “CBD is a synthetic second form of the CBDa molecular structure from the plant.”

CBDa converts into CBD when heated via decarboxylation.

An article in Frontiers in Psychiatry notes that many depressed individuals have explored using CBD. In addition, animal studies have uncovered an antidepressant effect of the compound, although data in humans remains largely anecdotal.

The CBD has become a multibillion-dollar business in recent years, reaching $5.18 billion internationally in 2021, according to Grand View Research.

The FDA has sent warning letters to several CBD vendors for falsely describing the contents of their products and for misbranding violations.

The mental health crisis is also fueling interest in classic psychedelics such as psilocybin, given their potential to reduce depression and anxiety when used in a therapeutic context. Growing interest in classic psychedelics could lead to a sea change in psychiatry, assuming they win regulatory approval.

Ponomariovaite has enlisted laboratories to test the contents of various CBD products and has identified the presence of old and heavy metals in some products.

She has also received anecdotal evidence from a number of consumers reporting that their anxiety or depression has lifted after taking CBDa extract. “This started with my housekeeper, who was on antidepressants for over eight years,” Ponomariovaite said. “She saw improvements almost immediately after starting to take the CBDa product.”

“I can’t make any claims here, but I can tell you that we never had a person that had depression who did not improve after taking CBDa,” Ponomariovaite said.

Preclinical evidence for CBDa in depression has been positive.

Nesa’s Hemp is working with physicians to gather case studies from customers taking CBDa.

The pharmaceutical industry generally has had a limited interest in cannabis derivatives. To date, FDA has approved a handful of cannabis-related products, including Epidiolex (cannabidiol), Marinol (dronabinol) and Syndros (dronabinol), for indications including epilepsy and nausea from chemotherapy.

Ponomariovaite anticipates that demand for CBDa will ramp up as more patients with depression, anxiety and other conditions report success with the supplement. “I keep seeing more people looking for help,” she said. “That’s why I work crazy hours. I want to make the world a better place.”


Filed Under: clinical trials, Drug Discovery, Neurological Disease
Tagged With: antidepressants, CBD, CBDA, Inesa Ponomariovaite
 

About The Author

Brian Buntz

As the pharma and biotech editor at WTWH Media, Brian has almost two decades of experience in B2B media, with a focus on healthcare and technology. While he has long maintained a keen interest in AI, more recently Brian has made making data analysis a central focus, and is exploring tools ranging from NLP and clustering to predictive analytics.

Throughout his 18-year tenure, Brian has covered an array of life science topics, including clinical trials, medical devices, and drug discovery and development. Prior to WTWH, he held the title of content director at Informa, where he focused on topics such as connected devices, cybersecurity, AI and Industry 4.0. A dedicated decade at UBM saw Brian providing in-depth coverage of the medical device sector. Engage with Brian on LinkedIn or drop him an email at bbuntz@wtwhmedia.com.

Related Articles Read More >

EVEREST lead investigator on why Dupixent sets a new bar for treating coexisting CRSwNP and asthma
Zoliflodacin wins FDA nod for treatment of gonorrhea
FDA approved ENFLONSIA for the prevention of RSV in Infants
First clinical study results of Dupixent for atopic dermatitis in patients with darker skin tones 
“ddd
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest news and trends happening now in the drug discovery and development industry.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
Drug Discovery and Development
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • Medtech100 Index
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Medical Design & Outsourcing
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Subscribe to our E-Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • R&D World
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Drug Discovery & Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Voices
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE