The number of Americans age 20–44 using sleep medication has nearly doubled between 2001 and 2007, according to pharmacy benefits manager Medco, with nearly 3.6 percent of that population now popping pills to get shuteye. Despite that increase, Sanofi-Aventis, the leader in the segment, saw sales of its blockbuster Ambien fall nearly 65 percent to $1.9 billion in 2007 as its patent expired in April of that year. Still, that drug and its rivals including Lunesta, Sonata, and others racked up more than $3 billion in sales in 2007. The growing use of soporifics comes as healthcare professional warn of the dangers from lack of sleep. A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention links lack of sleep to a host of potentially harmful behaviors and conditions including smoking, obesity, and excessive alcohol use. For example, among adults age 18–44 who sleep less than six hours a night, 38 percent were smokers compared to only 21 percent of those who slept seven to eight hours. Now that’s something to sleep on.

 

—Eric Wahlgren