WAKE up to this: a new treatment for jet lag may be within reach.
of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and researchers from Vanda Pharmaceuticals in Rockville, Maryland, disrupted the sleep of 411 volunteers, to mimic flying into a time zone 5 hours ahead. Those who took , a drug made by Vanda, took on average 8 to 11 minutes to fall asleep, compared with 22 minutes for those who took a placebo, and slept up to 10 per cent longer (The Lancet, ).
Tasimelteon likely boosts the effect of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep, by binding to its receptors. Although melatonin is sold in the US, the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate it. As tasimelteon is a synthetic chemical it will have to be approved before it can be sold.
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