Sage Therapeutics postpartum depression drug meets goal in two trials

(Adds details on trials, indication, share price)

Nov 9 (Reuters) - Sage Therapeutics on Thursday said its drug to treat moderate and severe postpartum depression met the main goal in two late-stage studies, sending shares of the company up about 17 percent in pre-market trade.

The drug, brexanolone, achieved lower rates of depression in patients compared with a placebo in both trials.

Patients were assessed according to a scale that rated the severity of their depression by symptoms such as mood, feelings of guilt, suicide ideation and insomnia.

There are currently no U.S. regulatory-approved therapies for postpartum depression, which affects about 10 percent to 20 percent of women giving birth in the United States, the company said.

Shares of the Cambridge Massachusetts-based company rose 16.5 percent to $73 in light pre-market trading.

Postpartum depression, a more severe form of "baby blues", is a common complication of childbirth that affects 1 in 9 women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(Reporting by Tamara Mathias in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernard Orr)