Drugs & Clinical Trials | By December 09, 2008 | By Sajid Surve, DO | 1 Comment

Beating the Biological Clock – Clinical Trials of Tasimelteon

The Lancet recently published clinical trial data from a Harvard study which compares the experimental new drug tasimelteon to placebo in treating jet lag. The medication works by binding to the same receptor as melatonin, and activating it as a direct agonist.

Melatonin is a neurotransmitter produced by the brain that is believed to play a pivotal role in the regulation of our “biological clock” or circadian rhythm. Melatonin levels fluctuate in the bloodstream throughout the day, and surge during the nighttime hours when it is dark outside and our bodies are inclined to sleep. The trouble with melatonin is that it falls under the FDA category of supplements and nutraceuticals, and is therefore largely unregulated in terms of potency, manufacturing process, and quality of ingredients. Studies are hard to conduct and successfully repeat for this reason as well. Read more →