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Insomnia market

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery volume 5, pages 15–16 (2006)Cite this article

Benzodiazepines

Historically, the sedative–hypnotic benzodiazepines have been the major class of drugs used to treat insomnia. These compounds achieve their sedative effect by non-selectively targeting the receptor for the brain's common inhibitory neurotransmitter (GABA, or γ-aminobutyric acid), the GABAA receptor. The most popular benzodiazepine is triazolam (Halcion; Pfizer), which is available as a generic formulation. Triazolam is indicated for the short-term treatment of insomnia (7–10 days) and its clinical efficacy is well established. However, triazolam and other benzodiazepines (such as estazolam, flurazepam, quazepam and temazepam) are associated with several negative side effects, including amnesia, tolerance/withdrawal, dependence/abuse potential, next-day residual sedation, and mental and behavioural changes. In the early 1990s, Halcion became a target of criticism due to psychiatric side effects, and posted only US$65 million in sales in 2004. Disappointment with the benzodiazepine class has stimulated the development of non-benzodiazepine drugs that act within this same pathway.

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Figure 1: Frequency of insomnia symptoms in US adult population.
Figure 2: The US sleep market is under-penetrated.
Figure 3: Percent who report any symptoms of a sleep problem (a few nights per week or more) is on the rise.
Figure 4: Brisk uptake of newer sleep drugs reflects unmet need in 2005.

References

  1. Stoller, M. K. Economic effects of insomnia. Clin. Ther. 16, 873–897 (1994).

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  1. Leland Gershell: Leland Gershell, M.D., Ph.D., is a biotech analyst

Authors and Affiliations

  1. SG Cowen & Co., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, 10020, New York, USA

    Leland Gershell

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  1. Leland Gershell
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National Sleep Foundation

National Institutes of Health sleep information

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Gershell, L. Insomnia market. Nat Rev Drug Discov 5, 15–16 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd1932

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