Hello, survivers! I am Masa, an ordinary Japanese junior high school teacher.
Today, at last, the time has come. I will write about TAK-925 and TAK-944, new promising medicine for Narcolepsy. This can be a dramatic life-changer for my fellow Narcolepsy patients, who have been forced to fight against sleepiness, a formidable counterpart every day.
The new drug has been developed by Takeda Parmaceutical Company Limited, originally a prestigious Japanese company (I feel really honoured that Japanese company did it!!👏). You know, Japan has produced such great sleep specialists, such as Mr Yanagishawa, who detected Orexin, Mr Y Honda, who found the HLA things and devoted his life to improving the quality of life of Narcolepsy patients, and so on. By the way, Mr M Honda, who supported this time clinical testing is the son of Mr Y Hond. Amazing! (I am not a nationalist, though )😁
Why are new medicines needed?
Let's get back to the new medicines. For now, I suppose the first choice for Narcolepsy is Modiodal (at least in Japan). However, as you know, the effect is not satisfactory. I say, I feel worried if I forget to take Modiodal in the morning, but when I feel sleepy, its effect is nothing. I cannot stop yawning anymore without closing my eyes. This is because Modiodal is symptomatic therapy, not a radical treatment. So Naroclepsy patients still live a hard life and definitely require a new treatment.
What is the difference between TAK-925 and TAK-944?
At first, I 'll tell you the difference between TAK-925 and TAK-944. The ingredients and effects are the same, the difference is how to take them. TAK-925 is a skin patch, which puts the medicine into the blood through skins. On the other hand, TAK-944 is internal medicine.
What effect do the TAK-925 and TAK-944 bring about?
This would be what you want to know the most. The clinical testing of TAK-925 has already finished in 2019. According to the research, The medicine was put into the examinees' blood spending 9 hours (9hours!). After taking it, the examinees were put into a dark room and the time until they fall asleep was measured. Those with a placebo fell into a sleep in 2.9 minutes. By the way, in the case of Modiodal, it was 5 minutes. Then how about the TAK-925? The time is, omg! It was ... 40 minutes!! It is amazing! This is because the medicine directly affects Orexin, whose lack causes Narcolepsy. This means that it is not medicines stimulating forcefully the central nervous system. But.. 9 hours! Don't worry. The test of TAK-944 for the model mice has finished safely and the clinical testing for human beings will be conducted from 2020 to 2021.
When can we use them?
Generally speaking, it takes so much time for a new drug to be safe. I hear 10 years is not uncommon. However, because of Takeda's effort, the Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare of Japan has designated the medicine as objective drugs with priority for examination. This means that the medicine can be given to the patients in 5 years! Don't shed tears, my fellow!
It's the fruit of the Takeda Japanese researchers' efforts
According to an article of Diamond Online, this medicine was the last-ditch attempt for the Japanese researchers to save themselves. TAKEDA, which was in very bad slumps these years, has invited Christophe Weber as CEO, and as a result of his reform and buying out a gigantic pharmaceutical company in Ireland, TAKEDA finally has become one of "Mega Pharma". However, in the Shonan research center of Takeda, the only lab in Japan, as many as 400 Japanese researchers were fired in the process of restructuring. So, for the remained researchers, this medicine was the last resort. In such hard circumstances, TAK-925 was developed. I really appreciate them. I am happy with the fact that a Japanese company like TAKEDA has succeeded in developing the medicine because I believe they are compassionate with us, patients judging from their words and actions for now. I believe that unlike some bio-companies which care just their own profit raising the price of the medicine exorbitantly, TAKEDA will be considerate for the patients.
Reference:
HP of TAKEDA: https://www.takeda.com/jp/newsroom/newsreleases/2019/20190926-8097/vDiamond Online: https://diamond.jp/articles/-/217434
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