The brain may be about to have its Ozempic moment
Drugmakers are betting that orexins, peptides that keep people awake, could become the next GLP-1, transforming treatment for brain-related ailments. Just as GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic revolutionized diabetes and weight loss, orexin-based therapies might tackle sleep disorders, depression, and more. This Economist piece explores the science and the commercial stakes.
Drugmakers are now betting that two other peptides, the orexins, could follow a similar path for a variety of brain-related ailments.
- derefr
My partner has had idiopathic hypersomnia (sleeps 12 hours most days, as much as 18 hours some days) for a few years now, and so far nothing we’ve tried has worked without awful side effects (e.g. constant heart palpitations and panic attacks.)
I had been looking into orexin agonists (along with other things like H3 autoreceptor antagonists) back when they were just a concept. It’s good to see them finally reaching commercialization. Although they’re not approved by our own (Canadian) regulatory body quite yet.
Now that they’re approved in the US, though, I’m looking very much forward to seeing how these drugs perform in off-label-ish treatment of the various other sleep disorders that I’m sure clinicians will now begin throwing them at.
- SoupBread
It sounds like is a genuine treatment for those who suffer from narcolepsy, and everything else is merely speculative and has seem pretty bad side-effects.
- Anon84
- fedpost
Well, they're filming the next season of black mirror right now, it's probably not too late to throw this one in there.
- WalterGR
185 comments 2 weeks ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49263658