Idorsia’s treatment for chronic insomnia wins Prix Galien Suisse 2024

Idorsia said Friday its novel treatment for chronic insomnia has been awarded the Prix Galien Suisse 2024 innovation prize in the ‘Primary & Speciality’ category.

The Prix Galien Suisse is awarded annually to the most innovative new medicines and diagnostics on the Swiss market, as judged by a jury of renowned Swiss scientists.

Alice Huisman, General Manager of Idorsia Switzerland and Austria, commented: “We are very proud to have been awarded the prestigious Prix Galien. The recognition from the jury is a wonderful endorsement of Idorsia’s commitment to innovation in Swiss healthcare and the value that the new treatment brings to improving Swiss patient care for chronic insomnia. My team is working to make this medicine accessible to all Swiss patients.”

Martine Clozel, MD and Chief Scientific Officer added: “I am delighted that our innovative research in Switzerland has been recognized with the Prix Galien Suisse 2024. Our research team began working on the science of orexin and orexin receptors immediately after they were first described in 1998. Our initial work led to the understanding that antagonism of the orexin system was the key to increasing sleep while preserving a natural sleep architecture in patients with insomnia. The team set the target to design a dual orexin receptor antagonist that achieved a rapid onset of effect and a duration of action sufficient to cover the totality of the night – with minimal next-morning residual effect – at optimally effective doses. This task proved to be very challenging, and we had to synthesize and characterize more than 25,000 compounds to arrive to the innovative compound now recognized with the Prix Galien Suisse.”

Insomnia disorder is defined as difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, causing clinically significant distress or impairment in important areas of daytime functioning. This impact on sleep quantity or quality should be present for at least three nights per week, over the period of at least three months, and occurs despite an adequate opportunity to sleep.

Insomnia is a state of overactive wake signals and studies have shown that in patients with insomnia, brain regions associated with wakefulness remain more active during sleep. Chronic insomnia is a common problem with an estimated prevalence in Switzerland of 9.2% of the working-age population.

Insomnia as a disorder is distinctly different from a short period of poor sleep and it can affect both physical and mental health. It is a persistent condition that has a negative impact on daytime performance.

Idorsia’s research has shown that poor sleep quality can affect many aspects of daily life, including the ability to concentrate, mood and energy levels. The goal of treating insomnia is to improve sleep quality and quantity, as well as daytime performance, while avoiding side and after-effects the next morning.

The currently recommended treatment for insomnia includes sleep hygiene, cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy.