Loading...
Modafinil (Provigil) was approved initially by the FDA to improve wakefulness in patients with narcolepsy. Last year, two new indications were added — obstructive sleep apnea and shift-work sleep disorder. Approval for shift-work sleep disorder was based partly on results from this industry-supported randomized trial.
Two hundred nine participants who worked at least 5 night shifts monthly (with at least 3 shifts occurring consecutively), and who had excessive sleepiness during night shifts and insomnia during the day, received modafinil (200 mg, taken at the start of each night shift) or placebo. At 3 months, a higher proportion of modafinil recipients than placebo recipients (74% vs. 36%) had at least minimal improvement in symptoms, accor…