FluxHQ - Rambings of Beings from a Parallel Universe

I was reading up on Neurocrine Biosciences(NASDAQ:NBIX) the other day, they have a drug in Phase III trial which is supposed to help people diagnosed with insomnia. Indiplon, the aforementioned drug, is a unique non-benzodiazapine agent that acts on a specific site of the GABA-A receptor. Indiplon has been shown to bind selectively to the specific subtype of GABA-A receptors within the brain believed to be responsible for promoting sleep. Insomnia affects a significant number of people in the United States. According to the National Sleep Foundation(NSF) Sleep in America Poll 2005, approximately 54 percent of the adult population report troubles sleeping a few nights per week or more. Approximately 38 percent of the adult population reports that they have experienced insomnia every night or almost every night within the past year. Shocking numbers, if you ask me, especially considering that these are the people with whom we interact everyday. It is also estimated that 1/3rd of American adults experience symptoms of insomnia at some time during their life. It’s more common in women, shift workers and older adults.

Insomnia is becoming more recognized by physicians as a disease in adults, that affects many aspects of patient’s health and well being. Insomnia not a one size fits all condition though, it encompasses various patient symptoms, like trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, waking up frequently during the night or awaken feeling unrefreshed. Patients suffering from insomnia frequently complain about feeling very tired, fatigued, having reduced energy levels and slower reflexes. Research also shows that their abilities to learn, remember and concentrate are affected adversely. There is also evidence that insomnia is a leading cause of mood swings, irritability and in some serious cases, even hallucinations. It all adds up though if insomnia goes untreated, though a symptom of some underlying disorder, insomnia becomes a cause of other physical and psychological illnesses when it is allowed to go on for a long time. More information can be found at e-insomnia and the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

It’s a pretty scary picture overall, scarier perhaps when you make note of the fact that these studies consider adults only. Teenagers are prone to insomnia too, as the latest NSF studies show, and it adversely affects their behavioral patterns. Add this to hormones, peer pressure, increasing societal stress, the Internet and video games, you have a recipe for absolute disaster. Is it me or in the last 10 years have gun totting teenagers become more commonplace in schools?

Anyway, to get back to Neurocine and its drug Indiplon, which has had fantastic trials, but did not get FDA to give it a go. The reasoning behind the FDA non-approval was that they did not have time to work their way through all of the data! Simply jaw-droppingly dumb. While the majority of Americans could have been helped by this drug, the FDA does not have the time or inclination to even consider it! Combine this with the prescription drug import issue and you can see why some people are starting to question the existence of the FDA. Vanda Pharmaceuticals(NASDAQ:VNDA) is one of the other companies working on an insomnia drug, but its drug won’t hit the market until 2010 or so.

Perhaps it’s the solution to world peace, let everyone get more sleep.

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