![]() The appraisal said the effects of the drugs after 12 months were not known. Nice said the length of treatment should still be as short as possible, with assessment within three months of starting the pills, and medication stopped if it proved ineffective. He added: “It’s very encouraging that Nice has made this recommendation, and in doing so recognises the importance of new innovations to help patients manage this life-changing condition.” “This is the first medication of its class to get approval in the UK, and so may be particularly useful for people who haven’t benefited from, or have not tolerated, the existing options.” Encouraging recommendationĭr David O’Regan, a consultant in psychiatry and sleep medicine at the Sleep Disorder Centre at Guy’s Hospital, London, said the news “represents a significant breakthrough for chronic insomnia patients”. “The choice of medications we have available in the UK for the treatment of insomnia is very limited and so the approval of an additional option will be welcomed by both doctors and patients. It is also important to make sure that access to CBT is improved to give patients the widest range of treatment options. “We would always recommend cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia as a first-line treatment, but medication still plays an important role in treating patients who don’t respond to or cannot access it. ![]() Sleep researchers said the drug allows high-quality sleep, unlike conventional medications that “knock you out”.ĭr Hugh Selsick, of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “Chronic insomnia is a common condition, which can have a devastating impact on patients’ lives. The pill, taken once a night around half an hour before bed, costs £1.42 a day and was found to be significantly better than a placebo for those with long-term insomnia over a 12-month period.Įxisting sleeping pills increase chemicals that make people feel sleepy, meaning those who take them can feel groggy the next day.īut the new drug blocks the action of two types of orexins – chemicals that help the body stay awake – to improve night-time sleep and daytime functioning without suffering drowsiness the next day. Psychiatrists welcomed the draft final guidance, saying the medication, marketed as Quviviq and manufactured by Idorsia, was the first in its class in a field with very limited options.Ĭurrent treatments for insomnia are only supposed to be used in the short term, although many people remain on them for longer. The drug will also be available on private prescription from next week. Patients will only be able to obtain the treatment if they have a diagnosis of long-term insomnia, meaning symptoms lasting for three nights or more per week for at least three months, with daytime functioning considerably affected. Nice estimated that around 20,000 people in England could receive the treatment on the NHS from GPs in the first year. The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has approved the drug daridorexant for those who suffer in the long term and are unable to access talking therapies or find that such methods do not ease their sleepless nights. One in three people suffers from insomnia at some stage in their lives, and around seven per cent suffer from chronic sleep problems. The medication, taken half an hour before bedtime, has been found to help insomnia sufferers get to sleep more quickly and stay asleep longer without feeling groggy the next day. The first nightly pill for chronic insomnia has been given the green light for the NHS.
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