Date-Rape Drug for Narcolepsy?
W A S H I N G T O N, June 7 -- A government advisory panel concluded that adrug abused in date rape can be useful as a treatment for a rarebut dangerous complication of the sleep disorder narcolepsy.
The panel convened by the Food and Drug Administration had beenasked to consider whether prescription sales should be permittedfor GHB — gamma hydroxy butyrate — under the brand name Xyrem. The committee voted 6-3 Wednesday that the manufacturer hasshown that the drug is useful in treating cataplexy, a complicationthat can cause people to suddenly collapse when their muscles losestrength. The vote, in effect, endorses sales of the drug. The FDA is notrequired to follow the recommendations of its advisory panels, butmost often does so. The advisory panel urged that the FDA — if it approves the drug— develop a strong risk management plan to make sure that the drugdoes not get into the wrong hands. Narcolepsy is marked by recurring episodes of daytime sleep inthe victim, lasting from a few seconds to an hour. A new drug,Provigil, was recently approved for that condition, and thecommittee voted unanimously not to accept Xyrem for generalnarcolepsy. Some narcolepsy victims also suffer a cataplexy that can bedisabling and dangerous. If approved by FDA, Xyrem would be thefirst treatment for these people. GHB, which depresses the central nervous system, originally wasdeveloped as an anesthetic. It later was withdrawn because ofunwanted side effects. Before 1990, it was available in many healthstores but that was halted because of increasing reports of abuseas a recreational drug. Last year President Clinton signed a bill toughening federallaws for possession and distribution of GHB, which has been linkedto at least 58 deaths since 1990 and more than 5,700 recordedoverdoses, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is sometimes used as a date-rape drug. A few drops of thecolorless, odorless drug are slipped into a drink. A victim whodrinks it can lose consciousness within 20 minutes and often haveno memory of what happened. The drug is difficult to trace, oftenleaving the body within 24 hours.
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