In today’s fast-paced “24/7” society, consumers often overlook foods and reach instead for drugs, as a quick way to improve alertness, slow the onset of cognitive decline or memory loss, or to modulate their mood. Bearing this out are the startling statistics on the market value of prescription drugs, such as antidepressants, sleep aids and alertness aids. According to Datamonitor, prescription antidepressants have global annual sales exceeding $15.6 billion, with U.S. sales accounting for more than 70% of this value. According to Packaged Facts, sales of OTC sleep aids are expected to approach $759 million by the year 2013. Some “alertness aids,” yet another drug type garnering attention from consumers, act as anti-sleep agents. One such product, modafinil--sold under the name Provigil®--was approved by the FDA to treat patients suffering from extreme sleepiness during the day, due to Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis.
The military has also tested modafinil to see if it will enable GIs to go without sleep for two or three days at a time. Last year, Provigil had sales of $1 billion, accounting for nearly half of its manufacturer’s revenue.