Idorsia Urges DEA to Deschedule Chronic Insomnia Drug Class
Idorsia Pharmaceuticals has petitioned the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to deschedule dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORA), a class of chronic insomnia medications.
Currently, the class is listed as Schedule IV under the Controlled Substances Act, which includes habit-forming drugs such as Valium and Xanax.
The company argues that the DORA class “works differently, blocking signals in the brain that stimulate wakefulness addressing chronic insomnia without creating dependence and with a negligible potential of abuse.”
“Access to the DORA class of medicines for insomnia should not be limited by the constraints put in place to manage and restrict the use of scheduled drugs or controlled substances,” said Idorsia CEO Jean-Paul Clozel.
April 11, 2023