Millions start work too early. This drug helps them stay awake
Why it matters: One in four workers operates outside standard hours, facing increased risks of accidents and reduced productivity.
- Brigham and Women's Hospital announced on April 1, 2026, that a new clinical trial led by Mass General Brigham researchers found solriamfetol effective for early-morning shift workers.
- Solriamfetol (Sunosi), a wake-promoting drug, significantly improved alertness, productivity, safety, and daily performance in early-morning shift workers with shift work disorder.
- Charles A. Czeisler, PhD, MD, senior author and chief of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Medicine at Mass General Brigham, highlighted that this is the first trial to test a treatment specifically for early-morning shift workers, the most common type of shift schedule.
- Kirsi-Marja Zitting, PhD, first author, explained that starting work between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. forces the brain to wake when it's biologically programmed to sleep, causing excessive sleepiness and difficulty sleeping later.
Millions of early-morning shift workers, often overlooked in shift work disorder research, may soon find relief from debilitating fatigue thanks to a new clinical trial. Researchers at Mass General Brigham found that the wake-promoting drug solriamfetol significantly boosts alertness and performance for those struggling to stay sharp during pre-sunrise shifts, addressing a major gap in treatment options.
