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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by Iansf on January 19, 2005, at 10:56:39
Sepracor Says Sleep Drug May Help Combat Depression
Reuters Health Information 2005. © 2005 Reuters Ltd.
Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.NEW YORK (Reuters) Jan 12 - Sepracor Inc. said on Wednesday that its recently approved Lunesta (eszopiclone) sleep drug appears to help improve depression in patients with insomnia.
Preliminary results of a late-stage trial involving 545 patients with both insomnia and major depression showed that those taking Lunesta (formerly termed Estorra) and the antidepressant Prozac were less likely to have a worsening of their depression than those taking Prozac plus placebo.
The company said it appears that based on the preliminary results of the study, the combination of Lunesta and Prozac even improved symptoms of depression.
Patients treated with Lunesta also had a statistically significant improvement in the time taken to get to sleep and in their ability to stay asleep.
Posted by bailey on January 20, 2005, at 7:11:25
In reply to Sleep Drug May Help Combat Depression, posted by Iansf on January 19, 2005, at 10:56:39
Thanks for posting this, Iansf! This is really helpful--I'm very intrigued and will look into this. :-)
Posted by Bill LL on January 20, 2005, at 12:47:33
In reply to Sleep Drug May Help Combat Depression, posted by Iansf on January 19, 2005, at 10:56:39
That gives me one more reason to try it when it comes out!
> Sepracor Says Sleep Drug May Help Combat Depression
>
> Reuters Health Information 2005. © 2005 Reuters Ltd.
> Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
>
> NEW YORK (Reuters) Jan 12 - Sepracor Inc. said on Wednesday that its recently approved Lunesta (eszopiclone) sleep drug appears to help improve depression in patients with insomnia.
>
> Preliminary results of a late-stage trial involving 545 patients with both insomnia and major depression showed that those taking Lunesta (formerly termed Estorra) and the antidepressant Prozac were less likely to have a worsening of their depression than those taking Prozac plus placebo.
>
> The company said it appears that based on the preliminary results of the study, the combination of Lunesta and Prozac even improved symptoms of depression.
>
> Patients treated with Lunesta also had a statistically significant improvement in the time taken to get to sleep and in their ability to stay asleep.
Posted by jerrympls on January 20, 2005, at 19:19:45
In reply to Re: Sleep Drug May Help Combat Depression, posted by Bill LL on January 20, 2005, at 12:47:33
It's supposed to be released late this month or mid-Feb.
Posted by ravenstorm on January 20, 2005, at 22:08:14
In reply to Re: Sleep Drug May Help Combat Depression, posted by jerrympls on January 20, 2005, at 19:19:45
What is Lunesta's mechanism of action?
Posted by dancingstar on January 23, 2005, at 10:02:59
In reply to Re: Sleep Drug May Help Combat Depression, posted by ravenstorm on January 20, 2005, at 22:08:14
Excuse me for interrupting, but it would seem to me that just about anything that made for a good night's sleep would be a good way to ensure that our minds and bodies stay healthy. I'm not convinced that they are on to something particularly special, but I suppose I have learned to be over-cautious about "truth in advertising" when it comes to drug companies and marketing.
Now back to your regularly-scheduled programing :-)
Posted by Jakeman on January 23, 2005, at 14:47:37
In reply to Sleep Drug May Help Combat Depression, posted by Iansf on January 19, 2005, at 10:56:39
I think Larry Hoover pointed out that Lunesta (Eszopiclone) is a slight variation of Imovane (Zopiclone) which has been available outside the U.S. for about 15 years. It will be the first insomnia drug approved by the FDA for long-term use. I expect we will soon see an ad campaign touting it as the new wonder drug for insomnia. Here's an article that gives a lot of un-hyped information:
http://www.formularyjournal.com/formulary/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=72482People writing about Imovane on Remedyfind.com have mixed reviews:
http://www.remedyfind.com/rm-1859-Imovane.asp
Posted by ed_uk on January 23, 2005, at 15:26:20
In reply to Re: Lunesta - Imovane article and reviews, posted by Jakeman on January 23, 2005, at 14:47:37
Hello!
Zopiclone (called Zimovane here) is widely prescribed in England, it has been available for many years. It is a useful hypnotic but there is no doubt that it can cause dependence, the same will inevitably be true of eszopiclone. Interestingly, a friend of mine recently took zopiclone for about 4 days. After stopping the zopiclone he suffered mild withdrawal symptoms and rebound insomnia for several days. As far as I know, there is no reason whatsoever to suggest that eszopiclone (Lunesta) will prove to be in any way superior to zopiclone. Don't get me wrong, zopiclone is an effective hypnotic with a relatively good safety record, eszopiclone will be similar. Although zopiclone is only approved for the short-term relief of insomnia, in practice it is often used long-term.
In summary, claims that eszopiclone is a superior hypnotic to zopiclone are unfounded.
Ed.
This is the end of the thread.
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