Lunesta Sleep Aid Available in 24 Hours to Any Pharmacy, Company Reaffirms

New study released today affirms earlier conclusions, shows no recurrence, withdrawal

April 11, 2005 - Lunesta is listed in the national pharmacy order management system, and is available to pharmacies within 24 hours of ordering it. This confirmation came in response to our request for more information after several readers contacted SeniorJournal.com saying they could not find the new sleep aid at their local pharmacy.

The story ran on Thursday saying Lunesta was available "nationwide," but on Friday and Saturday, we received complaints from readers saying it was not available. We also began to receive emails from people who reported having no problems getting their prescriptions filled.

One reader wrote, "I live in Westbury, New York, dropped off my Lunesta prescription on Monday, and my local neighborhood pharmacy telephoned me on Wednesday advising me that the Lunesta prescription may be picked up."

It may be more of a problem with the word on Lunesta getting out to the pharmacies than it is the medicine getting out.

In the second double-blind, placebo controlled study released today by Sepracor Inc., nightly use of Lunesta by people with chronic insomnia resulted in statistically significant improvements in patient ability to fall asleep, stay asleep and wake feeling refreshed (improved sleep quality). In addition, patients in the study reported that treatment with Lunesta resulted in:

Additionally, the study with people ages 21-64 included a two week discontinuation phase which showed that there was no evidence of rebound insomnia or withdrawal symptoms. Lunesta is the first and only insomnia treatment (Rx or OTC) approved for long-term use and is currently indicated for the treatment of insomnia in patients who experience difficulty falling asleep as well as for the treatment of patients who are unable to sleep through the night (sleep maintenance difficulty).

“The efficacy and safety results of this trial are consistent with the findings of Sepracor’s previously published, six-month study of eszopiclone (Lunesta). In both studies, nightly use of eszopiclone provided statistically significant improvements compared with placebo in patient-reported measures of sleep onset and sleep maintenance. In this study, patients treated with eszopiclone demonstrated statistically significant improvements in sleep quality and next-day function,” said Thomas Roth, Ph.D., Henry Ford Sleep Disorders Center, Detroit. “Importantly, eszopiclone’s efficacy was maintained over the entire six months of treatment, and the discontinuation rate for patients treated with eszopiclone was less than that for patients administered placebo.”

This long-term study included a two-week discontinuation phase, which showed no evidence of treatment-related rebound insomnia or withdrawal symptoms.

Lunesta: New Insomnia Drug Now Available in Most Pharmacies, Company Says

Information to SeniorJournal.com says clinical trials prove value of long-term use for senior citizens

By Tucker Sutherland, editor

April 7, 2005 – There has been general confusion about the availability of the new prescription sleep aid, Lunesta, that was approved by the FDA late last year but has been slow to reach the market. The company, Sepracor, Inc., issued a news release today saying it is now available in “most pharmacies nationwide.” Many senior citizen insomnia suffers have been eager for the non-narcotic drug that is the first sleep aid approved for long-term use. Read more...

New Long-Term Sleep Aid Lunesta Available Nationwide by April 1

Senior citizens expected to be a major market – 2 of 3 have sleep problems

March 30, 2005 – Two out of three older adults have sleep problems, according to the National Sleep Foundation, but help may have arrived just around the corner at the local pharmacy. Lunesta, the new insomnia drug approved by the FDA in December, is due to be available nationwide by April 1, according to. Sepracor Inc., maker of the drug. Read more...