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Although nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics (so-called “Z drugs”: eszopiclone [Lunesta], zaleplon [Sonata and generics], and zolpidem [Ambien, Edluar, Zolpimist, and generics]) are prescribed widely for insomnia, their effectiveness is unclear. To investigate the effectiveness of Z drugs and placebo responses, measured both objectively (polysomnography) and subjectively (patient report), investigators conducted a meta-analysis of 13 published and unpublished industry-sponsored, placebo-controlled, randomized trials that contained 65 drug–placebo comparisons and involved 4378 adults with insomnia. Zolpidem was assessed in eight studies, and eszopiclone and zaleplon were assessed in three studies each.
Data showed a significant placebo response for s…