Insomnia: Pharma Wakes Up to the Next Huge CNS Market

The insomnia market is entering a growth spurt enabled and fueled by more effective and safer drugs and their intense promotion: think depression in 1990, without the social stigma. The recent launch of three new products-Sepracor Inc.'s eszopiclone (Lunesta), Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.'s ramelteon (Rozerem) and Sanofi-Aventis' controlled-release zolpidem (Ambien CR)-and the advertising blitz that has accompanied Lunesta and Ambien CR, has brought the plight of insomnia sufferers to the fore. And as it grows, market shares in insomnia can shift quickly.