Insomnia Medications: Quick Fix or Growing Problem?

[marilyn glover]

If you've been paying attention to TV commercials as of late then
you've probably noticed a sharp increase in the number of ads for
insomnia medications. Whether it's Ambien, Lunesta, Rozerem, etc. drug
manufacturers are in overdrive trying to convince people to bug their
doctors for a prescription. There's a good reason why they're doing it
now, but it should concern us greatly.
With the number of people suffering from some form of insomnia growing
to roughly 80 - 100 million people in America, the potential market of
medication for insomnia is huge. That's almost a third of the US
population. Combine that with the US mentality of wanting quick fixes
now and you have a ripe opportunity to make serious money if you can
position your brand right. The market is still under utilized but
growing. In an article in US News and World Report approximately 25
million prescriptions for sleep aids were handed out in the first
seven months of 2005 alone.
Another disconcerting bit of information is that according to several
sources, manufacturers of insomnia medications have seriously ramped
up the advertising expenditures. The most serious increase was shortly
after 9/11 where many drug companies tripled or quadrupled their
pre-9/11 dollars in the months that followed the horrible events of
that day. The spending rates have stayed higher too with manufacturers
trying to capitalize on the stresses and fears of our present state of
world affairs. In short, they realize that people are more stressed
and fearful so they're sleeping less...and willing to pay to get it
back....

http://groups.google.com/group/insomniager