Insomniacs will soon have a new drug available to them. Ramelteon, which is to become available to consumers next month under the brandname Rozerem, is the first FDA-approved prescription sleep aid that is not designated as a controlled substance by the Drug Enforcement Adminstration.

The drug is chemically related to the hormone melatonin, which naturally helps regulate the body's sleep-wake cycle. And because it works through a different chemical pathway than other prescription sleep aids, it may help some people in ways that the other drugs cannot. "Current therapies often used for insomnia work by broadly inhibiting the activity of neurons in the brain," says Thomas Roth, an investigator in the ramelteon clinical trials and Director of the Sleep Disorders and Research Center in Detroit. "Ramelteon treats insomnia by specifically affecting the activity of neurons in an area of the brain involved in the sleep-wake cycle, and has been shown to carry no risks of abuse, withdrawal, or dependency, and negligible risk for next-day 'hangover' effects." FDA approval was based on data from clinical trials with more than 4,200 patients ages 18 to 93, some of whom took a single daily dose for up to one year.

The value of a good night's sleep is hard to overstate. And researchers are increasingly finding that sleep doesn't just improve the quality of life--it actually prolongs life as well. According to the National Institutes of Health, some 70 million Americans suffer from either acute insomnia, lasting one to several nights, or intermitten chronic insomnia, which can last for months and even years. The causes can range from factors such as stress, worry and major life changes to physical causes such as pregnancy, menopause, pain, digestive problems, restless leg syndrome or sleep apnea. Insomnia may also signal a deeper underlying condition such as depression. Whatever the cause, according to the U.S. Surgeon General, nearly $15 billion is spent annually on healthcare related to insomnia, while $50 billion is lost in productivity due to sleeplessness.

Don't expect any single pill to be the magic bullet that can give us all a restful night's sleep. But any new way to fight insomnia is certainly good news.