The US Food and Drug Administration approved Somerset Pharmaceuticals' Emsam (selegiline transdermal system), the first transdermal patch for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults.

According to the company release, Emsam, a transdermal delivery system manufactured by Mylan Technologies Inc. for Somerset, is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) that has been shown to relieve depressive symptoms in patients with MDD. Bristol Myers Squibb holds the marketing rights for Emsam.

"We are pleased to be able to provide this important treatment to people with major depressive disorder. We believe Emsam will help physicians treat their patients living with this illness through a new and unique delivery system," said Peter R. Dolan, chief executive officer, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.

Emsam is a patch version of a type of antidepressant called monoamine oxidase inhibitors, or MAOI. Those drugs carry strong warnings about the risk of high blood pressure if patients eat smoked meats, dairy products and other foods containing the compound tyramine.