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Lemborexant: First Approval

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Abstract

Lemborexant (DAYVIGO™) is an orally administered, dual orexin receptor (OXR) antagonist that exhibits reversible competitive antagonism at OXR1 and OXR2 (> affinity at OXR2) that was discovered and developed by Eisai Inc. for the treatment of adult patients with insomnia. In December 2019, lemborexant received its first approval (with final interim scheduling) in the USA for the treatment of adult patients with insomnia, characterized by difficulties with sleep onset and/or sleep maintenance. In January 2020, lemborexant also received approval in Japan for the treatment of insomnia. It is also being investigated for the treatment of irregular sleep-wake rhythm disorder (ISWRD) associated with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. This article summarizes the milestones in the development of lemborexant leading to its first global approval.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Springer Nature, Mairangi Bay, Private Bag 65901, Auckland, 0754, New Zealand

    Lesley J. Scott

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  1. Lesley J. Scott
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Correspondence to Lesley J. Scott.

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Funding

The preparation of this review was not supported by any external funding.

Conflict of interest

During the peer review process the manufacturer of the agent under review was offered an opportunity to comment on the article. Changes resulting from any comments received were made by the authors on the basis of scientific completeness and accuracy. Lesley Scott is a salaried employee of Adis International Ltd/Springer Nature, is responsible for the article content and declares no relevant conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Enhanced material for this AdisInsight Report can be found at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.11739492.

This profile has been extracted and modified from the AdisInsight database. AdisInsight tracks drug development worldwide through the entire development process, from discovery, through pre-clinical and clinical studies to market launch and beyond.

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Scott, L.J. Lemborexant: First Approval. Drugs 80, 425–432 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40265-020-01276-1

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