Data

Ketamine & esketamine: published cost and response-rate data

Compiled by the editorial team from published sources, linked inline · Pulled July 14, 2026

Our ketamine vs esketamine guide already explains the difference between the two. This page adds the numbers: what published price surveys report each option costs, and what peer-reviewed research reports about how often people respond. Every figure below links to the source it came from.

What published price surveys report

• Spravato with commercial insurance: published price surveys report that most insured patients pay roughly $10 to $250 per session, and that the manufacturer's savings program can reduce the medication portion to as little as $10. Source: Healing Maps Spravato cost guide (2026).
• Spravato without insurance: published price surveys report retail pricing of roughly $700 to $1,000 per session, or about $4,000 to $8,000 for a first month of eight doses. Source: Bright Horizons Psychiatry Spravato cost guide (2026).
• IV ketamine infusions (off-label for depression): published price surveys report a typical cost of $400 to $700 per session, and that these infusions are rarely covered by insurance. Source: Lumin Health ketamine cost comparison (2026).
• Insurance coverage breadth: published surveys report that Spravato, as the only FDA-approved ketamine-based medicine for depression, is covered by Medicare and most major insurance plans, commonly listing BCBS, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, and Humana. Source: Mindbloom Spravato coverage guide (2026).
• Typical course length: published clinic protocols commonly run six to ten sessions over three to five weeks for the induction course. Source: Lumin Health treatment-course overview (2026).

What peer-reviewed research reports about response

• A two-site randomized controlled trial found a 64% response rate to ketamine at 24 hours, compared with 28% for an active placebo (midazolam). Source: American Journal of Psychiatry (Murrough et al.).
• A broader review reports published response rates generally between 35% and 60% for low-dose ketamine in treatment-resistant depression, with meta-analytic estimates around 50% response and 28% remission. Source: Psychiatry Research five-year public-clinic study (2024).
• An open-label study found a 70.8% response rate after up to six IV infusions given over two weeks. Source: Translational Psychiatry.
• By contrast, research summarizing the STAR*D era found roughly 27% response and 17% remission at six months after two ineffective antidepressant trials, with about 14% remission as a third-line medication. Source: PMC ketamine review.
• Response is not universal: one naturalistic inpatient study found 75% of 40 treatment-resistant patients were classified as non-responders to short-term ketamine, a reminder that outcomes vary by protocol and by population. Source: Pharmacological Reports (2025).

None of these figures describe what any specific local clinic charges or how its own patients have responded; they describe published market surveys and clinical research in general. Only a clinician who knows your history, and a clinic that can quote your specific coverage, can tell you what to expect for you personally. Our ketamine vs esketamine guide and how to choose a provider page are good next steps.