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lemborexant

Sold as Dayvigo. Class: Orexin receptor antagonists. First FDA approval 12/20/2019: 7 years on the US market.

This grade answers one narrow question: how strong is the public evidence and safety record behind this drug, and how clean is its money trail and court record? It is not a verdict on whether the drug is right for you.

B

Score breakdown (76/100)

Safety ×35%
B
Evidence ×25%
F
Regulatory ×15%
A
Money & lawsuits ×15%
A
Options ×10%
D

Safety: 85

Evidence: 43

Regulatory history: 96

Money & lawsuits: 100

Options: 60

What the FDA label says

Approved uses

is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with insomnia, characterized by difficulties with sleep onset and/or sleep maintenance [see Clinical Studies ( 14.1 )] . DAYVIGO is an orexin receptor antagonist indicated for the treatment of adult patients with insomnia, characterized by difficulties with sleep onset and/or sleep maintenance. ( 1 )

Contraindications

is contraindicated in patients with narcolepsy. DAYVIGO is contraindicated in patients with narcolepsy. ( 4 )

Warnings and precautions

Depressant Effects and Daytime Impairment: Impairs alertness and motor coordination including morning impairment. Risk increases with dose and use with other central nervous system (CNS) depressants. For patients taking DAYVIGO 10 mg, caution against next-day driving and other activities requiring complete mental alertness. ( 5.1 ) Sleep Paralysis, Hypnagogic/Hypnopompic Hallucinations, and Cataplexy-like Symptoms: May occur with use of DAYVIGO. ( 5.2 ) Complex Sleep Behaviors: Behaviors including sleep-walking, sleep-driving, and engaging in other activities while not fully awake may occur. Discontinue immediately if a complex sleep behavior occurs. ( 5.3 ) Compromised Respiratory Function: Effect on respiratory function should be considered. ( 5.4 , 8.8 ) Worsening of Depression/Suicidal Ideation: Worsening of depression or suicidal thinking may occur. Prescribe the lowest number of tablets feasible to avoid intentional overdosage. ( 5.5 ) Need to Evaluate for Co-morbid Diagnoses: Reevaluate if insomnia persists after 7 to 10 days of treatment. ( 5.6 ) 5.1 CNS Depressant Effects and Daytime Impairment DAYVIGO is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant that can impair daytime wa...

Adverse reactions (label)

The following clinically significant adverse reactions are discussed in detail in other sections of the labeling: CNS Depressant Effects and Daytime Impairment [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] Sleep Paralysis, Hypnagogic/Hypnopompic Hallucinations, and Cataplexy-like Symptoms [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 )] Complex Sleep Behaviors [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 )] Patients with Compromised Respiratory Function [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )] Worsening of Depression/Suicidal Ideation [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.5 )] The most common adverse reaction (reported in ≥5% of patients treated with DAYVIGO and at least twice the rate of placebo) was somnolence. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Eisai Inc. at 1-888-274-2378 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. The safety of DAYVIGO was evaluated in 1418 adult patients with insomnia disorde...

Source: FDA SPL label for DAYVIGO (Eisai Inc.), effective 20250224. Full label on DailyMed.

Side-effect reports sent to the FDA

These are counts of reports people filed, not rates of harm. Anyone can file one, and nobody checks whether the drug was the cause. Millions of doses are taken for every report sent, so the useful part is how this drug compares with the average across all drugs.

2,744reports that mention this drug
2,726of those blame this drug, not another one the person was taking
77%of reports describe a serious outcome, such as a hospital stay (average for all drugs: 57%)
11.9%of reports include a death, from any cause (average for all drugs: 9.1%)

Problems reported most often

Drug Ineffective · 309Off Label Use · 191Suicide Attempt · 148Somnolence · 140Condition Aggravated · 131Suicidal Ideation · 130Fall · 105Nausea · 95Headache · 93Dizziness · 90Insomnia · 87Sleep Paralysis · 87Malaise · 79Nightmare · 77Pyrexia · 77

Reports per year

20192020202120222023202420252026
2199320376418554598275

Source: the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports are voluntary and unverified. Drugs that are prescribed a lot, in the news, or in lawsuits attract more reports, so the percentages are compared with the whole database to correct for that partly, not fully.

Recalls and regulatory record

0recall actions on file
1 / 0brand / generic applications
3label changes since 2021
NoREMS program

Evidence base

35randomized trials (PubMed)
10systematic reviews
51registered trials
58%of completed trials posted results
6%terminated or withdrawn
57%industry-funded

Counts measure how much evidence exists and how transparent it is, not how big the benefit is. For that, ask your prescriber: if 100 people like me took this, how many would get better because of it, and how many would be harmed? (Doctors call these the "number needed to treat" and "number needed to harm.") It differs by condition and is the number drug ads leave out. Sources: PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov.

Money and lawsuits

In 2024, drug companies reported $29,046 in payments to US physicians and hospitals tied to this drug across 9 transactions (Dayvigo $29,046).

No pending federal MDL names this drug or its brands.

Not named in any federal pharmaceutical settlement of $100M or more on record.

Sources: CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act); Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation pending docket list; DOJ settlements as tabulated on Wikipedia with links to the primary record. State-court and individual suits are not included.

Who takes it and what it costs

14,593Medicare Part D patients (2024)
57,890prescriptions filled
$362average cost per fill
$21Mtotal Medicare spend

Same-class alternatives

daridorexant

Same ATC pharmacological class, graded ones first, best grade at the top. Being in the same class does not make them interchangeable for your condition; it makes them worth asking about.

Questions to ask your prescriber

  1. This is a controlled substance. What is the plan for how long I take it and how I stop?
  2. The most-reported problems in FDA's adverse event data are suicide attempt, somnolence. How would we recognize and handle those?
  3. Off-label use is among the most-reported items for this drug. Is my use on-label, and if not, what evidence supports it?
  4. Why this one over daridorexant, suvorexant? What would make you pick one of those instead?
  5. There is no generic. Is there an older generic in the same class that works as well for my situation?
  6. What result are we expecting, by when, and what is the plan if it does not happen?
  7. If 100 people like me took this drug, how many would actually get better because of it, and how many would be harmed by it? (Doctors call these the number needed to treat and the number needed to harm.)