'Health Officials Close To U.S. Secretary Kennedy Explored Ban Of Some Widely Used Antidepressants' - Reuters Exclusive
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- Health officials explored restricting specific antidepressants among SSRI drugs-sources
- Kennedy announced other steps to reduce use of the medicines on Monday
- Kennedy says SSRIs are overprescribed and, without evidence, links them to violence
- FDA cannot ban approved medications without new evidence of safety risks, regulatory experts say
WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - U.S. health department officials last week explored whether they could ban certain drugs in a widely prescribed class of antidepressants as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. prepared to roll out a plan to reduce their use, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
Their interest centered on specific treatments within a class known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, such as Zoloft, Prozac and Lexapro, which have been available in the U.S. for decades, one of the people said. The sources did not say which drugs were being examined for restrictions or how far the inquiries about them had advanced.
Kennedy's Health and Human Services Department "has not had any discussions about banning SSRIs, and any claims suggesting otherwise are false," agency spokesman Andrew Nixon said in a statement.
Kennedy on Monday announced initiatives intended to reduce SSRI use, while attempting to reassure Americans who still want to take them. They include reimbursement guidelines for physicians who help patients come off of the medications as well as plans to share data on prescribing trends and an investment in training for healthcare providers.
"Psychiatric medications have a role in care, but we will no longer treat them as the default," Kennedy said on Monday at a Mental Health and Overmedicalization Summit. "Let me be clear: If you are taking psychiatric medication, we are not telling you to stop."
About one in six U.S. adults reported currently taking SSRI medications, which are widely available in generic form, according to a 2026 study in the medical journal BMJ Mental Health. The American Psychiatric Association considers SSRIs a first option, evidence-based treatment for depression.