A new drug is offering hope to sufferers of insomnia. An extensive clinical trial, which included patients in Gothenburg, has just been completed and the drug may hit the market within a few years.
- So far it looks very good, said Jan Hedner, professor of sleep medicine at the Sahlgrenska Academy in Gothenburg, to GP. Patients who have suffered from hard-to-treat insomnia for 20-30 years have been helped to good sleep.
The new generation of drugs target the Orexin system and work by decreasing alertness. One benefit over drugs that are currently available is that they don't appear to impact the sleep cycles. This means the quality and length of sleep is increased.
The new drug has been tested on about 10,000 patients and side effects appear to be rare and relatively minor.
- There may be nausea, stomach pain or headaches, but so far the side affects are managable and they occur on a limited scale, said Jan Hedner, to SR.
