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The melatonin receptor agonist tasimelteon has been approved to treat non-24 sleep–wake disorder in totally blind individuals, the FDA has announced. The drug should be taken each night before bedtime. In two placebo-controlled clinical trials comprising roughly 100 totally blind patients with non-24 disorder, tasimelteon significantly increased the duration of nighttime sleep and decreased the duration of daytime sleep (NEJM JW Emerg Med Mar 6 2009). The most frequent side effects included headache, elevated alanine aminotransferase levels, nightmares, and disrupted sleep. Tasimelteon can impair mental alertness; accordingly, patients should limit their activities after taking the drug.