Content about Intermezzo

February 7, 2013

Purdue Pharma drug 'significantly' reduces time to fall back asleep in insomnia patients, study finds

An insomnia drug made by Purdue Pharma "significantly" reduced the time it took patients to return to sleep after they'd woke up in the middle of the night, according to a new study.

STAMFORD, Conn. — An insomnia drug made by Purdue Pharma "significantly" reduced the time it took patients to return to sleep after they'd woke up in the middle of the night, according to a new study.

The placebo-controlled study, published in the journal Sleep, tested the drug Intermezzo (zolpidem tartrate) sublingual tablets on 295 adults with primary insomnia and difficulty returning to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night. Purdue said Intermezzo was the only drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating such patients.

January 10, 2013

FDA calls for lower dosage in some insomnia drugs

The Food and Drug Administration is ordering the makers of several sleep drugs to lower the dosage due to the risk that they can impair patients the morning after, the agency said Thursday.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration is ordering the makers of several sleep drugs to lower the recommended dosage due to the risk that they can impair patients the morning after, the agency said Thursday.

The FDA announced that it was requiring the manufacturers of drugs containing the active ingredient zolpidem to lower the current recommended dosage in light of new data showing that the morning after use, the drug can remain in the blood in sufficient quantities to impair activities that require alertness, such as driving.