Clinical Trial: Open Label Study to Assess the Absolute Bioavailability of Tasimelteon (HETLIOZ™)

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional



Official Title: A Single Dose, Open-Label, Randomized Two-Period Crossover Study in Healthy Young Subjects to Assess the Absolute Bioavailability of Tasimelteon (HETLIOZ™)

Brief Summary:

Hetlioz™ (tasimelteon) is used in the treatment of Non-24-Hour-Sleep-Wake Disorder (Non-24). Non-24 is very common in people who are totally blind because light can not reset their body clock. This causes the internal sleep-wake cycle to be out of sync with the 24-hour day-night. Non-24 is a serious, chronic circadian rhythm disorder in the blind that causes nighttime sleep problems and a wide range of daytime difficulties, including an overwhelming urge to nap.

Tasimelteon will be given in two ways; orally (by mouth) as a 20 mg capsule and intravenously (I.V.) by infusion through a catheter (not an injection) into a vein. The oral administration is approved by the FDA. The I.V. administration is considered investigational as it has not been approved by the FDA. This will be the first time tasimelteon will be given to humans by intravenous (I.V.) injection.

The purposes of this research study are to:

  • assess how quickly a single 20 mg oral dose of tasimelteon is absorbed into the body;
  • evaluate the single-dose pharmacokinetics of tasimelteon after a single 20 mg oral dose and after a single 2 mg I.V. dose;
  • evaluate the single-dose pharmacokinetics of tasimelteon metabolites after a single 20 mg oral dose and after a single 2 mg I.V. dose;
  • evaluate the safety and tolerability of a single 20 mg oral dose of tasimelteon; and
  • evaluate the safety and tolerability of a single 2 mg I.V. dose of tasimelteon.

Pharmacokinetics (PK) is the study of how a drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eventually eliminated by the body. Pharmacokinetics is