Shortcomings in the Evaluation and Promotion of Hypnotic Drugs

Abstract

Insomnia is one of the most common symptoms treated by the physician, and pharmacologic agents are the most frequent method of treatment. Because of a number of shortcomings in the evaluation and promotion of hypnotic drugs, the physician is often provided insufficient and misleading information resulting in a general misuse of these drugs. These shortcomings fall into two general categories: general methodologic inadequacies of clinical hypnotic drug trials and incomplete labeling and misleading promotional claims for these drugs.Methodologic InadequaciesImportant methodologic problems in these trials include a failure to evaluate the effectiveness of hypnotic drugs with intermediate and long-term . . .