Cephalon submits for FDA approval of jet lag treatment

FRAZER, Pa. A drug used to treat sleep apnea and other sleeping disorders could become a treatment for jet lag.

Drug maker Cephalon submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration Tuesday seeking approval for the use of Nuvigil (armodafinil) as a treatment of sleepiness associated with jet lag in people flying from west to east.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 70 million Americans experience jet lag, usually from long-haul, international flights. The condition results from moving rapidly between time zones before the body’s internal clock is able to adjust, and causes irregular sleep, wakefulness and appetite, but usually disappears after several days.

“We hope this will be the first of many new indications for Nuvigil over the next five years,” Cephalon chief medical officer and EVP Lesley Russell stated.