Lunesta-Lexapro study returns positive results

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. Sepracor has announced the release of a study for its sleeping drug Lunesta. The 595-patient study examined the safety and efficacy of Lunesta co-administered with Lexapro, which is commonly used in the treatment of anxiety, versus co-administration of Lexapro and placebo in patients with insomnia and co-existing generalized anxiety disorder.

Patients treated with Lunesta and Lexapro demonstrated significant improvement in all measured sleep parameters when averaged over the eight-week, double-blind period, including the primary endpoint of sleep latency (25-minute decrease in sleep onset), sleep maintenance and total sleep time (TST; 60-minute increase), compared with patients who were treated with Lexapro and placebo (11.5-minute decrease for sleep onset and 35-minute increase for TST).

The Lunesta-Lexapro co-therapy also resulted in significant patient-reported improvements from baseline in daytime symptoms of insomnia, including daytime alertness, ability to function, ability to concentrate and physical well-being compared to the Lexapro-placebo administration when averaged over the treatment period.

“The results of this study are consistent with results of other studies of Lunesta evaluating insomnia with major depressive disorder and symptoms associated with perimenopause, which have shown that improvements in sleep can have positive effects on the co-morbid condition,” said Mark H.N. Corrigan, executive vice president, research and development at Sepracor.