Ramelteon, sold under the brand name Rozerem among others, is a
melatonin agonist medication
A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field an ...
which is used in the treatment of
insomnia
Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy ...
.
It is indicated specifically for the treatment of insomnia characterized by difficulties with
sleep onset.
It reduces the time taken to fall asleep, but the degree of clinical benefit is small.
The medication is approved for long-term use.
Ramelteon is taken
by mouth
Oral administration is a route of administration where a substance is taken through the mouth. Per os abbreviated to P.O. is sometimes used as a direction for medication to be taken orally. Many medications are taken orally because they are i ...
.
Side effect
In medicine, a side effect is an effect, whether therapeutic or adverse, that is secondary to the one intended; although the term is predominantly employed to describe adverse effects, it can also apply to beneficial, but unintended, consequence ...
s of ramelteon include
somnolence
Somnolence (alternatively sleepiness or drowsiness) is a state of strong desire for sleep, or sleeping for unusually long periods (compare hypersomnia). It has distinct meanings and causes. It can refer to the usual state preceding falling asleep ...
,
dizziness
Dizziness is an imprecise term that can refer to a sense of disorientation in space, vertigo, or lightheadedness. It can also refer to disequilibrium or a non-specific feeling, such as giddiness or foolishness.
Dizziness is a common medical ...
,
fatigue
Fatigue describes a state of tiredness that does not resolve with rest or sleep. In general usage, fatigue is synonymous with extreme tiredness or exhaustion that normally follows prolonged physical or mental activity. When it does not resolve ...
,
nausea
Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. While not painful, it can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the ...
, exacerbated insomnia, and changes in
hormone
A hormone (from the Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior. Hormones are required ...
levels.
Ramelteon is an
analogue of
melatonin
Melatonin is a natural product found in plants and animals. It is primarily known in animals as a hormone released by the pineal gland in the brain at night, and has long been associated with control of the sleep–wake cycle.
In vertebrat ...
and is a
selective agonist
An agonist is a chemical that activates a receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an antagonist blocks the action of the ago ...
of the
melatonin
Melatonin is a natural product found in plants and animals. It is primarily known in animals as a hormone released by the pineal gland in the brain at night, and has long been associated with control of the sleep–wake cycle.
In vertebrat ...
MT1 and
MT2 receptors.
The
half-life
Half-life (symbol ) is the time required for a quantity (of substance) to reduce to half of its initial value. The term is commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo radioactive decay or how long stable at ...
and
duration of ramelteon are much longer than those of melatonin.
Ramelteon is not a
benzodiazepine
Benzodiazepines (BZD, BDZ, BZs), sometimes called "benzos", are a class of depressant drugs whose core chemical structure is the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring. They are prescribed to treat conditions such as anxiety disorders, ...
or
Z-drug and does not interact with
GABA receptors, instead having a distinct
mechanism of action
In pharmacology, the term mechanism of action (MOA) refers to the specific biochemical interaction through which a drug substance produces its pharmacological effect. A mechanism of action usually includes mention of the specific molecular tar ...
.
Ramelteon was first described in 2002
and was approved for medical use in 2005.
Unlike certain other sleep medications, ramelteon is not a
controlled substance
A controlled substance is generally a drug or chemical whose manufacture, possession and use is regulated by a government, such as illicitly used drugs or prescription medications that are designated by law. Some treaties, notably the Sing ...
and has no known
potential for misuse.
Medical uses
Insomnia
Ramelteon is approved for the treatment of
insomnia
Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy ...
characterized by difficulty with
sleep onset in adults.
In regulatory
clinical trial
Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...
s, it was found to significantly reduce
latency to persistent sleep (LPS).
A 2009
pooled analysis
A pooled analysis is a statistical
Statistics (from German: ''Statistik'', "description of a state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying ...
of four
clinical trial
Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...
s found that ramelteon at a dose of 8 mg reduced
sleep onset by 13 minutes (30% decrease) relative to
placebo
A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures.
In general ...
on the first and second nights of use.
Subsequent
meta-analyses
A meta-analysis is a statistical analysis that combines the results of multiple scientific studies. Meta-analyses can be performed when there are multiple scientific studies addressing the same question, with each individual study reporting me ...
of longer-duration use have found that ramelteon decreases
subjective sleep latency by about 4 to 7 minutes.
Meta-analyses are mixed on whether ramelteon increases
total sleep time.
Ramelteon also improves
sleep quality ( –0.074, 95% –0.13 to –0.02) and
sleep efficiency.
The clinical improvement in insomnia with ramelteon is small and of questionable benefit.
Ramelteon is approved in the United States but was not approved in the European Union owing to concerns that it lacked effectiveness.
The
Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use
The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), formerly known as Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP), is the European Medicines Agency's committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordin ...
(CHMP) of the
European Medicines Agency (EMA) noted that ramelteon had only been found to improve sleep onset and not other sleep outcomes, only one of three clinical trials actually found that it improved sleep onset, and that the improvement in sleep onset was too small to be clinically meaningful.
The CHMP also noted that the long-term effectiveness of ramelteon had not been demonstrated.
The
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is a United States professional society for the medical subspecialty of sleep medicine which includes disorders of circadian rhythms. It was established in 1975.
The organization's functions include ...
's 2017
clinical practice guidelines recommended the use of ramelteon in the treatment of sleep-onset insomnia.
It rated the recommendation as weak and the
quality of evidence as very low but concluded that the potential benefits outweighed the potential harms.
The guidelines found that ramelteon reduces sleep latency by 9minutes (95% 6–12minutes) but does not improve sleep quality.
In contrast to ramelteon, the guidelines did not recommend the use of
melatonin
Melatonin is a natural product found in plants and animals. It is primarily known in animals as a hormone released by the pineal gland in the brain at night, and has long been associated with control of the sleep–wake cycle.
In vertebrat ...
.
Circadian rhythm sleep disorders
Melatonin receptor agonists like
melatonin
Melatonin is a natural product found in plants and animals. It is primarily known in animals as a hormone released by the pineal gland in the brain at night, and has long been associated with control of the sleep–wake cycle.
In vertebrat ...
and
tasimelteon are considered to be effective in regulating
sleep–wake cycles and in the treatment of
circadian rhythm sleep disorders like
delayed sleep phase disorder.
Ramelteon has been assessed in only a few studies in the treatment of circadian rhythm sleep disorders, including
jet lag disorder
Jet lag is a physiological condition that results from alterations to the body's circadian rhythms caused by rapid long-distance trans-meridian (east–west or west–east) travel. For example, someone flying from New York to London, i.e. from ...
,
shift work disorder
Shift work sleep disorder (SWSD) is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder characterized by insomnia, excessive sleepiness, or both affecting people whose work hours overlap with the typical sleep period. Insomnia can be the difficulty to fall asleep o ...
, and
non-24-hour sleep–wake disorder.
These studies have been of varying
quality and their findings in terms of effectiveness have been mixed.
Ramelteon is approved only for treatment of insomnia and is not approved for treatment of circadian rhythm sleep disorders.
It was previously under development for treatment of circadian rhythm sleep disorders, but development for these indications was discontinued.
Other uses
Delirium
A systematic review, published in 2014, concluded "ramelteon was found to be beneficial in preventing delirium in medically ill individuals when compared to placebo." A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis found that the
combination of ramelteon and the
orexin receptor antagonist suvorexant may reduce the incidence of
delirium
Delirium (also known as acute confusional state) is an organically caused decline from a previous baseline of mental function that develops over a short period of time, typically hours to days. Delirium is a syndrome encompassing disturbances ...
in adults
hospitalized
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emergency ...
patients whereas suvorexant alone was ineffective.
Bipolar disorder
Ramelteon has received attention in
psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry.
Initial p ...
as a possible add-on treatment for
mania
Mania, also known as manic syndrome, is a mental and behavioral disorder defined as a state of abnormally elevated arousal, affect, and energy level, or "a state of heightened overall activation with enhanced affective expression together wit ...
in
bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...
.
However, to date, the scarce available evidence fails to support the clinical utility of ramelteon and other melatonin receptor agonists such as
melatonin
Melatonin is a natural product found in plants and animals. It is primarily known in animals as a hormone released by the pineal gland in the brain at night, and has long been associated with control of the sleep–wake cycle.
In vertebrat ...
for mania.
Available forms
Ramelteon is available in the form of 8 mg
oral film-coated
A film coating is a thin polymer-based coat that is typically sprayed on to a solid pharmaceutical dosage form, such as a tablet, capsule, pellet or granule. Film coating can impact both its appearance and its pharmacokinetics making it an ess ...
tablets.
Contraindications
Ramelteon is not recommended for use in people with severe
sleep apnea
Sleep apnea, also spelled sleep apnoea, is a sleep disorder in which pauses in breathing or periods of shallow breathing during sleep occur more often than normal. Each pause can last for a few seconds to a few minutes and they happen many tim ...
.
Adverse effects
Side effect
In medicine, a side effect is an effect, whether therapeutic or adverse, that is secondary to the one intended; although the term is predominantly employed to describe adverse effects, it can also apply to beneficial, but unintended, consequence ...
s of ramelteon include
somnolence
Somnolence (alternatively sleepiness or drowsiness) is a state of strong desire for sleep, or sleeping for unusually long periods (compare hypersomnia). It has distinct meanings and causes. It can refer to the usual state preceding falling asleep ...
(3% vs. 2% for
placebo
A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures.
In general ...
),
fatigue
Fatigue describes a state of tiredness that does not resolve with rest or sleep. In general usage, fatigue is synonymous with extreme tiredness or exhaustion that normally follows prolonged physical or mental activity. When it does not resolve ...
(3% vs. 2% for placebo),
dizziness
Dizziness is an imprecise term that can refer to a sense of disorientation in space, vertigo, or lightheadedness. It can also refer to disequilibrium or a non-specific feeling, such as giddiness or foolishness.
Dizziness is a common medical ...
(4% vs. 3% for placebo),
nausea
Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. While not painful, it can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the ...
(3% vs. 2% for placebo), and exacerbated insomnia (3% vs. 2% for placebo).
Overall, side effects occurred in 6% with ramelteon and 2% with placebo in
clinical trial
Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...
s.
Side effects leading to
discontinuation occurred in 1% or fewer people.
Rarely,
anaphylactic reactions,
abnormal thinking
A thought disorder (TD) is any disturbance in cognition that adversely affects language and thought content, and thereby communication. A variety of thought disorders were said to be characteristic of people with schizophrenia. A content-thought ...
, and worsening of
depression or
suicidal thinking
Suicidal ideation, or suicidal thoughts, means having thoughts, ideas, or ruminations about the possibility of ending one's own life.World Health Organization, ''ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics'', ver. 09/2020MB26.A Suicidal ideatio ...
in patients with pre-existing depression may occur with ramelteon.
Ramelteon has been found to slightly increase
prolactin
Prolactin (PRL), also known as lactotropin, is a protein best known for its role in enabling mammals to produce milk. It is influential in over 300 separate processes in various vertebrates, including humans. Prolactin is secreted from the pit ...
levels in women (+34% vs. –4% with placebo) but not in men and to decrease free
testosterone
Testosterone is the primary sex hormone and anabolic steroid in males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of male reproductive tissues such as testes and prostate, as well as promoting secondary sexual characteris ...
levels (by 3–6% in younger men and by 13–18% in older men).
Ramelteon has not been shown to produce
dependence and has shown no
potential for abuse.
The
withdrawal
Withdrawal means "an act of taking out" and may refer to:
* Anchoresis (withdrawal from the world for religious or ethical reasons)
* '' Coitus interruptus'' (the withdrawal method)
* Drug withdrawal
* Social withdrawal
* Taking of money from ...
and
rebound insomnia that is typical with
GABAA receptor positive modulators like
benzodiazepine
Benzodiazepines (BZD, BDZ, BZs), sometimes called "benzos", are a class of depressant drugs whose core chemical structure is the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring. They are prescribed to treat conditions such as anxiety disorders, ...
s and
Z-drugs is not present in ramelteon.
Increased incidence of
liver
The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...
and
testicular tumors have been observed with ramelteon in rodents but only at doses equivalent to at least 20 times greater than the recommended dose in humans.
Overdose
Ramelteon has been assessed at doses of up to 64 mg in clinical studies.
Interactions
Ramelteon has been evaluated for potential drug interactions with the following medications and showed no significant effects:
omeprazole,
theophylline
Theophylline, also known as 1,3-dimethylxanthine, is a phosphodiesterase inhibiting drug used in therapy for respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma under a variety of brand names. As a member of the ...
,
dextromethorphan
Dextromethorphan (DXM) is a medication most often used as a cough suppressant in over-the-counter cold and cough medicines. It is sold in syrup, tablet, spray, and lozenge forms. In 2022, the FDA approved a formulation of it combined with bu ...
, and
midazolam
Midazolam, sold under the brand name Versed among others, is a benzodiazepine medication used for anesthesia and procedural sedation, and to treat severe agitation. It works by inducing sleepiness, decreasing anxiety, and causing a loss of ...
,
digoxin
Digoxin (better known as Digitalis), sold under the brand name Lanoxin among others, is a medication used to treat various heart conditions. Most frequently it is used for atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and heart failure. Digoxin is on ...
and
warfarin
Warfarin, sold under the brand name Coumadin among others, is a medication that is used as an anticoagulant (blood thinner). It is commonly used to prevent blood clots such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and to prevent ...
. There were no clinically meaningful effects when ramelteon was coadministered with any of these drugs.
A drug interaction study showed that there were no clinically meaningful effects or an increase in adverse events when ramelteon and the SSRI
Prozac
Fluoxetine, sold under the brand names Prozac and Sarafem, among others, is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class. It is used for the treatment of major depressive disorder, obsessive–compulsive disord ...
(fluoxetine) were coadministered. When coadministered with ramelteon,
fluvoxamine (strong
CYP1A2
Cytochrome P450 1A2 (abbreviated CYP1A2), a member of the cytochrome P450 mixed-function oxidase system, is involved in the metabolism of xenobiotics in the human body. In humans, the CYP1A2 enzyme is encoded by the ''CYP1A2'' gene.
Function
...
inhibitor) increased
AUC approximately 190-fold, and the
Cmax increased approximately 70-fold, compared to ramelteon administered alone. Ramelteon and
fluvoxamine should not be coadministered.
has significant
drug–drug interaction with the following drugs: .
Ramelteon should be administered with caution in patients taking other
CYP1A2
Cytochrome P450 1A2 (abbreviated CYP1A2), a member of the cytochrome P450 mixed-function oxidase system, is involved in the metabolism of xenobiotics in the human body. In humans, the CYP1A2 enzyme is encoded by the ''CYP1A2'' gene.
Function
...
inhibitors, strong
CYP3A4
Cytochrome P450 3A4 (abbreviated CYP3A4) () is an important enzyme in the body, mainly found in the liver and in the intestine. It oxidizes small foreign organic molecules ( xenobiotics), such as toxins or drugs, so that they can be removed from t ...
inhibitors such as
ketoconazole, and strong
CYP2C9
Cytochrome P450 family 2 subfamily C member 9 (abbreviated CYP2C9) is an enzyme protein. The enzyme is involved in metabolism, by oxidation, of both xenobiotics, including drugs, and endogenous compounds, including fatty acids. In humans, the prote ...
inhibitors such as
fluconazole.
Efficacy may be reduced when ramelteon is used in combination with potent
CYP enzyme inducers such as
rifampin, since ramelteon concentrations may be decreased.
Pharmacology
Pharmacodynamics
Ramelteon is a
melatonin receptor agonist with both high affinity for
melatonin MT1 and MT2 receptors and
selectivity over the non-human MT
3 receptor. Ramelteon demonstrates
full agonist activity ''in vitro'' in cells expressing human MT
1 or MT
2 receptors, and high selectivity for human MT
1 and MT
2 receptors compared to the non-human MT
3 receptor.
The
affinity of ramelteon for the MT
1 and MT
2 receptors is 3 to 16 times higher than that of melatonin.
Ramelteon has 8-fold higher affinity for the MT
1 receptor over the MT
2 receptor.
The binding profile of ramelteon distinguishes it from
melatonin
Melatonin is a natural product found in plants and animals. It is primarily known in animals as a hormone released by the pineal gland in the brain at night, and has long been associated with control of the sleep–wake cycle.
In vertebrat ...
,
tasimelteon, and
agomelatine
Agomelatine, sold under the brand names Valdoxan and Thymanax, among others, is an atypical antidepressant most commonly used to treat major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. One review found that it is as effective as other ...
.
The major
metabolite
In biochemistry, a metabolite is an intermediate or end product of metabolism.
The term is usually used for small molecules. Metabolites have various functions, including fuel, structure, signaling, stimulatory and inhibitory effects on enzymes, ...
of ramelteon, M-II, is active and has approximately one-tenth and one-fifth the binding affinity of the parent molecule for the human MT
1 and MT
2 receptors, respectively, and is 17- to 25-fold less potent than ramelteon in ''in vitro'' functional assays. Although the potency of M-II at MT
1 and MT
2 receptors is lower than the parent drug, M-II circulates at higher concentrations than the parent producing 20- to 100-fold greater mean systemic exposure when compared to ramelteon. M-II has weak affinity for the serotonin
5-HT2B receptor, but no appreciable affinity for other receptors or enzymes. Similar to ramelteon, M-II does not interfere with the activity of a number of endogenous enzymes.
Ramelteon has no appreciable affinity for the
GABA receptors or for receptors that bind
neuropeptide
Neuropeptides are chemical messengers made up of small chains of amino acids that are synthesized and released by neurons. Neuropeptides typically bind to G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to modulate neural activity and other tissues like th ...
s,
cytokine
Cytokines are a broad and loose category of small proteins (~5–25 kDa) important in cell signaling. Cytokines are peptides and cannot cross the lipid bilayer of cells to enter the cytoplasm. Cytokines have been shown to be involved in a ...
s,
serotonin,
dopamine
Dopamine (DA, a contraction of 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) is a neuromodulatory molecule that plays several important roles in cells. It is an organic chemical of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families. Dopamine constitutes about 8 ...
,
noradrenaline,
acetylcholine
Acetylcholine (ACh) is an organic chemical that functions in the brain and body of many types of animals (including humans) as a neurotransmitter. Its name is derived from its chemical structure: it is an ester of acetic acid and choline. Par ...
, and
opioid
Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. Medically they are primarily used for pain relief, including anesthesia. Other medical uses include suppression of diarrhea, replacement therapy for opioi ...
s. Ramelteon also does not interfere with the activity of a number of selected enzymes in a standard panel.
Mechanism of action
The activity of ramelteon at the MT
1 and MT
2 receptors is believed to contribute to its sleep-promoting properties, as these receptors, acted upon by endogenous melatonin, are thought to be involved in the maintenance of the
circadian rhythm
A circadian rhythm (), or circadian cycle, is a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep–wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours. It can refer to any process that originates within an organism (i.e., endogenous) and responds to ...
underlying the normal
sleep–wake cycle.
Pharmacokinetics
Absorption
The total
absorption of ramelteon is 84% while its
oral bioavailability
In pharmacology, bioavailability is a subcategory of absorption and is the fraction (%) of an administered drug that reaches the systemic circulation.
By definition, when a medication is administered intravenously, its bioavailability is 100%. ...
is 1.8%.
The low bioavailability of ramelteon is due to extensive
first-pass metabolism.
The absorption of ramelteon is rapid, with
peak levels
Cmax is the maximum (or peak) serum concentration that a drug achieves in a specified compartment or test area of the body after the drug has been administered and before the administration of a second dose. It is a standard measurement in pharm ...
being reached after approximately 0.75 hours (range 0.5–1.5 hours).
Food increases peak concentrations of ramelteon by 22% and overall exposure by 31% and delays the time to peak levels by approximately 0.75 hours.
The
pharmacokinetics
Pharmacokinetics (from Ancient Greek ''pharmakon'' "drug" and ''kinetikos'' "moving, putting in motion"; see chemical kinetics), sometimes abbreviated as PK, is a branch of pharmacology dedicated to determining the fate of substances administered ...
of ramelteon are linear across a dose range of 4 to 64 mg.
There is substantial
interindividual variability in the peak concentrations and
area-under-the-curve levels of ramelteon which is consistent with high first-pass metabolism.
Distribution
The
volume of distribution
In pharmacology, the volume of distribution (VD, also known as apparent volume of distribution, literally, ''volume of dilution'') is the theoretical volume that would be necessary to contain the total amount of an administered drug
A drug ...
of ramelteon is 73.6 L, which suggests substantial
tissue distribution
Distribution in pharmacology is a branch of pharmacokinetics which describes the reversible transfer of a drug from one location to another within the body.
Once a drug enters into systemic circulation by absorption or direct administration, it mu ...
.
The
plasma protein binding
Plasma protein binding refers to the degree to which medications attach to proteins within the blood. A drug's efficiency may be affected by the degree to which it binds. The less bound a drug is, the more efficiently it can traverse or diffuse th ...
of ramelteon is 82% independently of concentration.
Ramelteon is primarily bound to
albumin
Albumin is a family of globular proteins, the most common of which are the serum albumins. All the proteins of the albumin family are water-soluble, moderately soluble in concentrated salt solutions, and experience heat denaturation. Albumins ...
(70%).
The medication is not selectively distributed to
red blood cell
Red blood cells (RBCs), also referred to as red cells, red blood corpuscles (in humans or other animals not having nucleus in red blood cells), haematids, erythroid cells or erythrocytes (from Greek ''erythros'' for "red" and ''kytos'' for "holl ...
s.
Metabolism
Ramelteon is
metabolized in the
liver
The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...
primarily by
oxidation
Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is the gain of electrons or a ...
via
hydroxylation
In chemistry, hydroxylation can refer to:
*(i) most commonly, hydroxylation describes a chemical process that introduces a hydroxyl group () into an organic compound.
*(ii) the ''degree of hydroxylation'' refers to the number of OH groups in a ...
and
carbonylation
Carbonylation refers to reactions that introduce carbon monoxide into organic and inorganic substrates. Carbon monoxide is abundantly available and conveniently reactive, so it is widely used as a reactant in industrial chemistry. The term carbo ...
.
It is also secondarily metabolized to produce
glucuronide conjugates.
Ramelteon is metabolized mainly by
CYP1A2
Cytochrome P450 1A2 (abbreviated CYP1A2), a member of the cytochrome P450 mixed-function oxidase system, is involved in the metabolism of xenobiotics in the human body. In humans, the CYP1A2 enzyme is encoded by the ''CYP1A2'' gene.
Function
...
while
CYP2C
Cytochromes P450 (CYPs) are a superfamily of enzymes containing heme as a cofactor that functions as monooxygenases. In mammals, these proteins oxidize steroids, fatty acids, and xenobiotics, and are important for the clearance of various ...
enzyme
Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecule ...
s and
CYP3A4
Cytochrome P450 3A4 (abbreviated CYP3A4) () is an important enzyme in the body, mainly found in the liver and in the intestine. It oxidizes small foreign organic molecules ( xenobiotics), such as toxins or drugs, so that they can be removed from t ...
are involved to a minor extent.
The
metabolite
In biochemistry, a metabolite is an intermediate or end product of metabolism.
The term is usually used for small molecules. Metabolites have various functions, including fuel, structure, signaling, stimulatory and inhibitory effects on enzymes, ...
s of ramelteon include M-I, M-II, M-III, and M-IV.
Exposure to M-II is approximately 20- to 100-fold higher than to ramelteon.
Elimination
Ramelteon is
excreted 84% in
urine
Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and in many other animals. Urine flows from the kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder. Urination results in urine being excreted from the body through the urethra.
Cellular ...
and 4% in
feces
Feces ( or faeces), known colloquially and in slang as poo and poop, are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a rela ...
.
Less than 0.1% of drug is excreted as unchanged ramelteon.
Elimination
Elimination may refer to:
Science and medicine
* Elimination reaction, an organic reaction in which two functional groups split to form an organic product
*Bodily waste elimination, discharging feces, urine, or foreign substances from the bo ...
of ramelteon is essentially complete by 96 hours following a single dose.
The
elimination half-life of ramelteon is 1 to 2.6 hours while the half-life of M-II, the major active metabolite of ramelteon, is 2 to 5 hours.
The half-lives of ramelteon and M-II are substantially longer than that of
melatonin
Melatonin is a natural product found in plants and animals. It is primarily known in animals as a hormone released by the pineal gland in the brain at night, and has long been associated with control of the sleep–wake cycle.
In vertebrat ...
, which has a half-life in the range of 20 to 45 minutes.
Levels of ramelteon and its metabolites at or below the limit of detectability within 24 hours following a dose.
Special populations
Peak levels of ramelteon and overall exposure are about 86% and 97% higher, respectively, in elderly adults compared to younger adults.
Conversely, peak levels of M-II are 13% and overall exposure 30% higher in elderly adults than in younger adults.
The
elimination half-life of ramelteon is 2.6 hours in elderly adults.
History
Ramelteon was first described in the medical literature in 2002.
It was approved for use in the United States in July 2005.
Society and culture
Ramelteon has no
potential for abuse or
drug dependence and is not a
controlled substance
A controlled substance is generally a drug or chemical whose manufacture, possession and use is regulated by a government, such as illicitly used drugs or prescription medications that are designated by law. Some treaties, notably the Sing ...
.
Research
Ramelteon, along with other melatonin receptor agonists like
melatonin
Melatonin is a natural product found in plants and animals. It is primarily known in animals as a hormone released by the pineal gland in the brain at night, and has long been associated with control of the sleep–wake cycle.
In vertebrat ...
, has been repurposed in clinical trials as an adjunctive treatment for acute
manic episodes in subjects with
bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...
.
Nonetheless, meta-analytic evidence is based on very few trials and does not allow supporting the use of melatonin receptor agonists as adjunctive options for mania in clinical practice, although the small
sample size
Sample size determination is the act of choosing the number of observations or replicates to include in a statistical sample. The sample size is an important feature of any empirical study in which the goal is to make inferences about a populatio ...
do not allow ruling out their beneficial effect.
References
External links
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Benzofurans
Indanes
Melatonin receptor agonists
Propionamides
Sedatives
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company brands