A new cure for our insomnia? In early May, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) gave the green light to market a new insomnia drug called Quviviq. This remedy which differs from the sleeping pill was created by the Swiss biotech Idorsia led by a French couple. Its marketing is not a world first since it was authorized in the United States last January.
- What is the added value of this remedy?
The Quviviq should not be confused with the sleeping pill that we already know. While the latter is used to put the brain to sleep, Quviviq acts on waking up thanks to its active substance called daridorexant, “a molecule which blocks the action of orexin, the molecule responsible for awakening, by attaching to its place on its two target receptors in the brain”, emphasizes Futura-Sciences media. Simply put, the drug aims to help people sleep faster and longer.
The results of the study of Lancet, published in February 2022 and involving 930 people, draw the following conclusions: “Daridorexant 25 mg and 50 mg improved sleep outcomes, and daridorexant 50 mg also improved daytime functioning, in people with sleep disorders. insomnia, with a favorable safety profile.” Similar remedies already exist around the world. Whether on the Japanese or American market, the Merck laboratory had already put its suvorexant, based on the same principle as daridorexant.
- How will this remedy be used?
Quviviq is available in pill form. The typical dose is one 50mg tablet in the evening – or 25mg if the doctor feels a lower dose is more appropriate. The European agency says the drug should be taken no more than “30 minutes before bedtime.” On the Quviviq website, several indications are listed. Among them: “only take QUVIVIQ if you are able to stay in bed for at least 7 hours before you need to be active again.” Taking this medication should not be done over a long period of time without talking to your doctor.
Quviviq will only be available on prescription and its consumption will remain subject to specific conditions. : this medicine should be used “to treat adults suffering from insomnia (difficulty sleeping) which has lasted at least three months and which has a considerable impact on their functioning during the day”, insists the EMA, stressing that ‘is only available on prescription’. On BFM TV, Marc Rey, neurologist and president of the National Institute of Sleep and Vigilance, speaks of a “new weapon”, while emphasizing that it is aimed at patients under the care of a doctor. Note that Quviviq should not be combined with alcohol, as the drug may increase the effects of the drink.
- What are the side effects?
Also on the site of the drug it is written that taking this drug decreases consciousness and alertness. “The morning after taking Quviviq, your ability to drive safely and think clearly may be impaired. You may also experience daytime sleepiness,” they add.
“The most common side effects are headache and drowsiness,” it says on the drug’s website. But other consequences have been listed by the US Food and Drug Administration, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)“Driving ability was impaired in some subjects taking QUVIVIQ 50 mg,” the institution writes. As for the elderly, it is also noted that, due to the risk of drowsiness, they run a higher risk of falls.
The FDA also mentions a risk of aggravation of the patient’s depressive state. “Patients with psychiatric disorders, including insomnia, are at increased risk of suicide…Suicide risk monitoring and protective measures may be needed.”