BETWEEN commercials for Levitra, Cialis, Zoloft and several other heavily advertised drugs, CNN announced that the FDA approved on Dec. 18, 2004 yet another drug, Lunesta. While the drug showed statistically significant improvements in clinical studies, the drug, as it is being marketed to doctors and patients, is being prematurely distributed with too few warnings.
Lunesta, a drug designed specifically for providing relief to insomnia patients, is unique in two very important ways. First of all, the FDA has put no formal time limit or even recommended one on Lunesta prescriptions, meaning patients can take Lunesta for as long as doctors are willing to order. This stands in stark contrast to Ambien, the current market leader in treating insomnia, which is habit-forming and rarely used for longer than 10 days at a time. Second, Lunesta, unlike Xanax, Valium, Serepax and several other well-known drugs, is neither a benzodiazepine (tranquilizer) nor a narcotic. Because most drugs for insomnia and other related disorders are benzodiazepines and narcotics, most of the available research has been directed towards those substances. Lunesta, by contrast, is a new drug to American society and therefore is less understood than the more conventional "sleeping pills," which come in the form of benzodiazepines and narcotics.
Simply the fact that this new drug is less understood than its market competitors implies that stricter scrutiny should be placed on long-term testing for Lunesta. However, testing on the drug lasted six months on 2,700 patients, which is acceptable by today's FDA standards. Yet this short-term testing is of questionable adequacy given that there is not a recommended time limit on the drug
Read More
A statement by 40 Jewish faculty and staff on antisemitism and DEI at U.Va.
By Jewish Faculty & Staff at U.Va. | YesterdayAs scholars and teachers, we know that dissent and debate strengthen our intellectual commitments and moral judgments rather than threaten them. We reject any attempt to deny these basic truths.
KURTZWEIL: Little sympathy for LittleJohn’s closure
By Paul Kurtzweil | 6 days agoWith a new class of students arriving in August, Corner restaurants will face another test of their price discrimination and thus need to learn LittleJohn’s lesson quickly.
A statement by 401 concerned faculty regarding the crisis of President Ryan’s forced resignation
By Concerned Faculty | July 10, 2025We call on the Board to collaborate closely with faculty in appointing an Interim President to guide the university through this perilous time.
