A new hypnotic agent, zaleplon (Wyeth-Ayerst), is reported to have minimal residual effects the next day, even when taken during the night.
"The drug may be a good treatment option for people who wake up in the middle of the night and have difficulty getting back to sleep," said Dr Martin Scharf (Sleep Disorders Centre, Ohio), who presented trial data this week at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology congress, in London, showing that zaleplon did not produce next-day psychomotor impairment.
Zaleplon has been licensed for use in Europe and should be available, as Sonata capsules, in the UK early next year, according to Dr Richard Mangano (senior director, clinical research and development, Wyeth-Ayerst). Speaking to The Journal on September 21, he suggested that the drug could be taken either at bed time or during the night, as long as the person would be staying in bed for another four hours. "Even chronic insomniacs do not have problems every night," said Dr Mangano. With its dosing flexibility, zaleplon could be taken when problems arose, he said.
Zaleplon has a one-hour half life, which is shorter than other hypnotics. Dr Mangano also noted that, even at maximum plasma concentrations, zaleplon produced less psychomotor impairment than zopiclone and zolpidem. "In an emergency, if the person had to get up, they could function better if they had taken zaleplon," he said. "We do not know the explanation for this, but believe it may be related to potency at the benzodiazepine receptor."
Zaleplon is formulated with a marker substance which allows detection if, as reported with Rohypnol, the drug were to be used to "spike" drinks.