Solriamfetol Boosts Alertness for Early Shift Workers
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- Solriamfetol significantly improved alertness and daily functioning in 78 early-morning shift workers with shift work disorder in a 4-week randomized, placebo-controlled trial led by Mass General Brigham researchers—the first clinical trial to test a treatment in this population.
- Senior author Charles A. Czeisler said the study "addresses a major gap" since no prior trial had tested treatment for shift work disorder in early-morning workers, who make up the most common shift schedule; first author Kirsi-Marja Zitting noted these workers "are waking up at a time when the brain is biologically programmed to sleep."
- Participants on solriamfetol could stay awake longer during simulated work hours, with both patients and clinicians reporting better work performance and greater ability to manage daily tasks by the trial's end.
- Shift work disorder affects roughly 1 in 4 non-9-to-5 workers and is linked to reduced mental sharpness, lower productivity, higher car accident risk, and more workplace injuries.
- Solriamfetol (Sunosi) is already approved for excessive sleepiness in obstructive sleep apnea and narcolepsy; researchers chose it because it promotes extended alertness without significantly disrupting later sleep, unlike modafinil.
- The team is now enrolling for a follow-up trial in overnight shift workers to support broader approval; the current 4-week study in otherwise healthy adults was funded by Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Axsome Therapeutics, and Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Why it matters: For the roughly one in four workers who clock in before sunrise—and who often don't even identify as "shift workers"—this first-ever clinical trial in this population found solriamfetol delivered clinically meaningful alertness gains across a full 8-hour shift, potentially reducing the workplace injuries, car accidents, and productivity losses tied to shift work disorder. With solriamfetol already FDA-approved for narcolepsy and sleep apnea, a follow-up trial in overnight workers could expand its use to the largest untreated shift-work population.
