Health
Aytu BioPharma Highlights Opportunity for EXXUATM (gepirone) as New Way to Treat Major Depressive Disorder That Avoids Common Side Effects of Sexual Dysfunction and Significant Weight Gain following launch of EXXUA
EXXUA addresses frequent causes of treatment discontinuation with first-line SSRIs and SNRIs Now commercially available through retail pharmacies and participating Aytu RxConnect® pharmacies to support patient access DENVER, COLORADO / ACCESS ...
About this update from Aytu Biopharma, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"EXXUA addresses frequent causes of treatment discontinuation with first-line SSRIs and SNRIs","length":92,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Now commercially available through retail pharmacies and participating Aytu RxConnect® pharmacies to support patient access","length":131,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"DENVER, COLORADO / ACCESS Newswire / January 20, 2026 / Aytu BioPharma, Inc. (the "Company" or "Aytu") (Nasdaq:AYTU), a pharmaceutical company focused on advancing innovative medicines to treat complex central nervous system disorders and improve the quality of life of patients, today announced the nationwide commercial launch of EXXUA and successful completion of its launch meeting last week that finalized sales training and launch preparations for EXXUA, the first and only selective 5-HT1A agonist approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of major depressive disorder ("MDD") in adults, representing a new way to treat MDD.","length":696,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"EXXUA is a once-daily monotherapy with a unique mechanism of action that selectively targets 5-HT1A receptors, important regulators of mood and emotion,1-3 while minimizing activity at serotonin receptors (eg, 5-HT2A) linked to side effects such as sexual dysfunction4 and weight gain5,6 that are common with many first-line antidepressants. EXXUA is only approved for use in adults. Antidepressants increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in pediatric and young adult patients in short-term studies.","length":513,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Of the 21 million Americans living with MDD, up to 70%2,7 experience treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction and more than 65%8 are affected by weight gain, two side effects of first-line MDD medications that drive nearly half of patients to discontinue their treatment.9","length":269,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":""The burden of MDD is not limited to psychological symptoms," said Dr. Stephen Stahl, Professor of Psychiatry, University of California and founder of the Neuroscience Education Institute, a recognized expert neuropsychopharmacologist. "Sexual dysfunction and weight gain are frequently experienced as core features of depression, reflecting the disorder's broad impact o...