Actelion announces successful proof-of-concept study

Swiss pharmaceutical company Actelion has revealed the success of testing on a treatment for chronic insomnia.

The proof-of-concept study forms another stage of the phase of experiments on the firm’s receptor antagonist ACT-078573, with results showing it can improve levels of sleep efficiency in patients with primary insomnia.

Following the success of the single-dose trial, work has now proceeded to the next stage where researchers will test the effectiveness of varying amounts to establish the most successful dosage.

“The magnitude of the observed effect clearly demonstrates that the orexin system plays a key role in insomnia patients,” commented Isaac Kobrin, head of clinical development at Actelion.

He continued that the effectiveness of the treatment on overall sleep efficiency suggests aspects including sleep induction and sleep maintenance could also benefit from the product.

In addition, the spokesman said that the results seen at this stage in the testing process ensured that current progress “exceeds our expectations”.

The study incorporated the testing of the treatment on 39 patients, with people showing good toleration of the dosage and there were no incidents of any serious side-effects.

Actelion currently offers a number of pharmaceutical products including Tracleer, which is an approved oral treatment for several types of pulmonary arterial hypertension.