The FDA approves the world’s first transdermal patch to treat depression:

The first skin patch to treat depression won federal approval Tuesday, providing a novel way to administer a drug already used by Parkinson’s disease patients but that belongs to a class of medicines that is rarely a first or second choice anti-depressant.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the selegiline transdermal patch, agency spokeswoman Susan Cruzan said. The drug will be marketed as Emsam, said Somerset Pharmaceuticals Inc., which developed the drug, and Bristol-Myers Squib Co., which will market it in three sizes as a once-a-day treatment for major depression.

"We believe Emsam will help physicians treat their patients living with this illness through a new and unique delivery system," said Peter Dolan, chief executive officer of Bristol-Myers Squibb.