Amanda Heidt in Nature:
When US regulators approved a treatment for narcolepsy in August, some researchers immediately predicted a bright future for the class of compounds it belongs to, known as orexin agonists. Much like blockbuster GLP-1 drugs, such as Ozempic, which were initially approved to treat diabetes but have since taken off as treatments for other conditions, these new drugs seem capable of much more than treating sleep disorders.
…This excitement comes on the heels of decades of research about orexins — peptides that are produced by the brain and that have a role in modulating metabolism, mood, appetite, memory and, most notably, sleep and wakefulness cycles. Now, scientists are racing to work out how best to apply what they have found in the clinic, exploring the use of orexin agonists in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other conditions in which attention and alertness are dysregulated.
More here.
Enjoying the content on 3QD? Help keep us going by donating now.