Zolpidem oral spray (Zolpimist – NovaDel/ECR), a new formulation of the oral hypnotic zolpidem tartrate (Ambien, and others), has been approved by the FDA for short-term treatment of insomnia characterized by difficulty falling asleep.

ZOLPIDEM — Zolpidem is the most frequently prescribed hypnotic in the US. Rapid-acting with a short half-life, it is available as an immediate-release (IR) tablet, a sublingual tablet (Edluar)1 and an extended-release (ER) tablet (Ambien CR). A new sublingual tablet recently approved for middle-of-the-night awakening (Intermezzo) will be reviewed in a future issue of The Medical Letter.

RELATED DRUGS — Zolpidem, zaleplon (Sonata, and others), and eszopiclone (Lunesta) are benzodiazepine receptor agonists; they are not benzodiazepines, but appear to bind ... more      

Would you like to read the rest of this article?  Gain access below.