Research

Difficulty Falling Asleep & Sleeplessness? Trials with a New Compound

The Lübeck Campus sleep laboratory is seeking subjects to take part in a scientific trial.

Excessive daytime fatigue, often a result of difficulty in falling asleep and other sleep disorders, can significantly lower the quality of life. In the last few years, a new medication was developed to address this – a dual orexin blocker. The sleep laboratory at the Centre of Integrative Psychiatry (ZIP) on the Lübeck Campus is seeking test subjects for a scientific trial, led by Prof. Dr Klaus Junghanns.

Orexin is a receptor antagonist in the brain that regulates wakefulness. Brief blockages during sleep can mitigate sleeplessness and thus lead to restful sleep and reduced daytime fatigue. Such a substance has already been approved in the U.S., while another is nearing approval.

This trial will focus on a third compound that may be more effective against sleep disorders, and for which approval will be sought. In the currently ongoing trial, no side-effects were observed, and it does not appear to be addictive.

The trial for approval will be conducted at a host of sleep disorder centres. The ethics commission has preapproved the trial.

Conditions for participation:
Adults sought for the trial must be healthy, but suffering from difficulty falling asleep or other sleep disorders. If you wish to participate, you must not have depression, drug addiction, sleep apnoea, or the restless legs syndrome. The trial is keen to get especially older patients (65 or over).

Trial procedure:
During this trial, patients will be thoroughly monitored in a sleep laboratory several times, and they will also record their sleep patterns at home in an electronic diary. Once the test in the laboratory objectively determines a sleep disorder, the trial subjects will get either a placebo or the new medication, but the investigators or subjects will not know which. Sleep will be monitored further to demonstrate the efficacy of the medication versus the placebo.

After this trial, expected to last about three months, one may be able to take part in a longer follow-up trial while taking the sleep medication.

Compensation:
All trial subjects will receive generous compensation for their participation.

• If interested, please contact the ZIP sleep laboratory in Lübeck.
  Tel. 0451-500 98890, Name "Idorsia-Schlafstudie" (Idorsia Sleep Trial)