Merck & Co., Inc. May Have Solved Sleeping Pill Problem that GlaxoSmithKline, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Failed at

The road to a sleeping pill that offers the snooze-inducing benefits of Ambien and Lunesta, while avoiding next-day grogginess and disorientation, has been paved with failure, tripping up GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK) and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Now, Merck & Co. (MRK) (MRK) may have found a solution. The drugmaker is in final testing on an insomnia product, named suvorexant, that works differently than the market leaders. It blocks a tiny group of receptors that keep the body alert, rather than boosting the brain’s complex sleep system. The target is more precise, offering less room for side effects to occur, the Whitehouse Station, New Jersey-based company said.

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