MONDAY, Aug. 18, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the ketamine product, KETARx, for use in surgical pain management.Ketamine is the only psychedelic or psychedelic-adjacent drug on the World Health Organization Essential Medicines List, with its global market projected to grow from $750 million to $3.42 billion by 2034.PharmaTher, which developed KETARx, believes there is a promising outlook for the ketamine market and that the FDA approval provides a strong foundation for expanding the development of ketamine across diverse therapeutic areas. These areas include depression, neurological disorders (Parkinson disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), and rare or chronic pain conditions."Today marks a new chapter for PharmaTher. With FDA approval for ketamine now in hand, we are closer to realizing our goal of becoming a global leader in ketamine-based pharmaceuticals. This historic FDA approval for PharmaTher is a testament to years of dedicated development, signaling a new era of growth," Fabio Chianelli, founder and CEO of PharmaTher, said in a statement. "We remain steadfast in our mission to harness the pharmaceutical potential of ketamine for a range of mental health, neurological, and pain disorders."Approval of KETARx was granted to PharmaTher.More Information.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter