Posted on 06/02/2022 at 10:52 p.m.,
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After the United States, it is the turn of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to authorize a new treatment against insomnia, Quviviq, developed by Idorsia, a Swiss biotech company directed by a Frenchman, Jean-Paul Clozel. It could represent a major breakthrough for anyone who suffers from insomnia.
According to Public Health France, chronic insomnia affects 13% of the population aged 18-75, or just under 10 million French people. For them, the arrival on the market of this treatment could represent a solution to their sleep problems.
Treatment of insomnia that lasts for at least three months
Quviviq is a drug that is used to “treat adults with insomnia that has lasted at least three months and that has a significant impact on their functioning during the day” according to the EMA.
For the CEO of Idorsia, Jean-Paul Clozel, quoted by our colleagues from Figaro, this treatment “allows to obtain a natural sleep during my night while preserving the patient’s quality of life during the day. This is an important step forward for anyone who is afraid to go to bed because they fear sleeping poorly.“.
A clinical study on more than 900 patients
Conducted in February 2022 and published in the scientific journal The Lancet Neurology, a clinical study was carried out on 930 patients by the laboratory. The results showed an average waking time reduced by 29 minutes for patients who took 50 mg of Quviviq for three months compared to 11 minutes for those on placebo. After three months, patients on treatment fell asleep 35 minutes faster than before, compared to 23 minutes for those on placebo.
The shortest possible treatment
Now authorized in Europe, Quviviq will soon be available in pharmacies, but only on prescription. It is recommended to take it in a dose of 50 mg, that is to say a tablet of treatment, rather in the evening but not more than 30 minutes before bedtime, with a delayed effect if it is taken during the meal.
It is advisable to follow this treatment for as short a period as possible and to re-evaluate your needs with a doctor after three months of taking this medication. The side effects described are mild to moderate headache and drowsiness which may affect up to 1 in 10 people.
An action on awakening
Sleeping pills act on the patient falling asleep. Quviviq also acts on awakening. Thanks to the active substance of this drug, daridorexant, it occurs “a blockage of orexin, a substance produced by the brain that promotes wakefulness. To do this, Quviviq attaches to two types of orexin receptors. This means that this treatment helps people fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer and thus improve their functioning during the day.“, reports the statement of the EMA.
Consult a doctor online for your sleep disorders
Total contraindications exist
This processing is prohibited in three situations:
- In people using “strong CYP3A34 inhibitors”, found in many medicines, including antibiotics. The medical prescription and the advice of a health professional, doctor or pharmacist, is in any case essential;
- In case of narcolepsy, a neurological disease that includes disturbances of wakefulness and sleep;
- In case of hypersensitivity or allergy to any of the components.