New York - Can you imagine flying to China and being able to go to a meeting the next day? Or working the night shift for a month and then day shift the next without worrying about your sleep pattern? Well that may be possible if scientists are able to gain approval for a new drug called Tasimelteon. The drug works by helping the body release more of the sleep hormone melatonin, resetting sleep patterns and erasing jet lag.
In a study published in The Lancet, the experimental drug helped volunteers sleep faster and longer. The trials were designed and sponsored by the Maryland-based Vanda Pharmaceuticals and were conducted at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and at the Harvard Medical School both in Boston.
Dr. Elizabeth B. Klerman, one of the co-authors of the study, said that people who took the drug performed normally the next day with no aftereffects from the drug and minimal side effects. She also said that unlike conventional sleeping aids such as Ambien or Lunesta, the new drug has no potential for addiction or abuse.
Commenting on the study, experts said that its main limitations were its relatively small size and the researchers’ inability to measure performance and mood after the drug was used. However, they also added that the findings would be welcomed by many people including shift-workers, airline crew, tourists and football teams.