On September 21, the "2025 China Sleep Medicine Development Forum," hosted by the Chinese Sleep Research Society, was held simultaneously across four cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu. Prominent academicians and both Chinese and international experts led scholarly discussions centered on improving sleep quality and daytime functioning for the Chinese population and exploring the latest innovations in sleep medicine. The event attracted over 2,000 clinical professionals across the four cities, while more than 1 million viewers tuned in to the live broadcast online.
During the forum, Daridorexant—a novel dual orexin receptor antagonist (DORA) co-developed by Simcere and Idorsia Ltd. announced its commercial launched in China. The Chinese Phase III clinical data were reported on this innovative sleep medication that provides compelling evidence of its effectiveness in improving both nighttime sleep and daytime functioning.
East-West Exchange: Enhancing the Quality of Life for Insomnia Patients
Professor Laura Palagini from the University of Pisa, Italy, shared insights on the "Latest Advances in Insomnia Management in Europe." She highlighted that daridorexant represents a significant breakthrough by effectively improving nighttime sleep and daytime functioning through precise modulation of the orexin system. It has become a first-line pharmacological treatment for insomnia in Europe. Patient feedback indicates they fall asleep more easily, experience fewer nighttime awakenings, and wake up feeling refreshed—without the grogginess commonly associated with traditional sleep medications. Additionally, real-world overseas studies demonstrate that, in addition to improving insomnia symptoms, daridorexant also alleviated symptoms of depression and anxiety related to insomnia.
Professor Yuping Wang from Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, presented Chinese Phase III clinical data on daridorexant. He noted that the main findings from the Chinese study are consistent with results from international multicenter Phase III trials, confirming that daridorexant significantly improves nighttime sleep in Chinese patients with insomnia by providing "longer and better sleep," with a favorable safety profile. The medication does not cause next-day drowsiness, and there are no withdrawal effects or rebound insomnia observed after discontinuation.
The National Key Laboratory for Neurological and Oncological Drug Discovery announced the launch of the "Simcere Explorer Program," which opens research topics in neurology and insomnia. Dr. Renhong Tang, Director of the laboratory, stated that the lab plans to invest 30 million RMB over the next three years to expand post-marketing research into new areas for daridorexant. This effort aims to gather more real-world evidence for patients with neurological or psychiatric comorbidities and for various insomnia subgroups based on age and gender.
Expert Insights: Redefining Quality Sleep
With the introduction of new insomnia treatments, the clinical treatment goals for insomnia are no longer limited to simply pursuing "falling asleep", but place greater emphasis on sleep quality and daytime quality of life. Several top experts in the sleep field shared their expectations for new therapies helping patients achieve "quality sleep".
Professor Zihe Rao, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS):
“The journey from the discovery of orexin to the launch of the novel insomnia drug daridorexant is an example of translating basic research into clinical application. We look forward to strengthened collaboration between Simcere Pharmaceutical, the National Key Laboratory, research institutes, and clinical institutions to explore the medical utility of this revolutionary innovative drug, making significant contributions to ‘Healthy China’.”
Professor Shumin Duan, Academician of the CAS: Sleep disorders are a major issue affecting both people’s physical and mental health. For many years, traditional insomnia medications non-selectively and broadly suppressed brain activity, leaving inevitable side effects. The emergence of dual orexin receptor antagonists such as daridorexant, are such a great news. They precisely regulate the overactive wake signaling of the brain and can effectively avoid those side effects of traditional sleeping pills. Developing innovative drugs in the neurology field is challenging and high-risk; we anticipate more innovative breakthroughs.
Professor Lin Lu, Academician of the CAS:
Sleep medicine in China has achieved significant development over the past 10 years. The state attaches great importance to sleep health, with sleep specialty clinics being commonly established in municipal hospitals across the country. Efforts are also strengthened in professional talent training and public science education to comprehensively enhance sleep health services. We hope that globally innovative drugs like the newly launched daridorexant can be localized as soon as possible to reduce costs and benefit more insomnia patients.
Professor Zhili Huang from Fudan University: As an outstanding representative of orexin receptor antagonists, daridorexant, with its targeted 8-hour half-life, perfectly aligns with the physiological sleep rhythm and does not produce next-day residual effects. This not only provides clinicians with a superior treatment tool but is also expected to drive a transformation in the landscape of insomnia drug treatment, ushering in an era of precision medicine and shifting the focus from "treatment-centered" to "health-centered" care.
Professor Weihua Yue from Peking University Sixth Hospital: If insomnia occurs more than 3 times per week and persists for over 3 months, accompanied by taking more than 30 minutes to fall asleep, frequent nighttime awakenings, or early morning awakenings, and leads to daytime fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and emotional problems, it may meet the criteria for an insomnia disorder. Professional assessment and intervention are recommended in such cases.
Professor Zan Wang from the First Hospital of Jilin University: The standards for quality sleep should include: 1. Appropriate sleep duration; 2. Sleep efficiency; 3. Good sleep quality without long awakenings; 4. Feeling energetic and alert the next day.
Dr. Srishti Gupta, MD, CEO of Idorsia of Idorsia Ltd., Switzerland:
To develop a drug that helps people fall asleep quickly, sleep soundly through the night, and wake up feeling refreshed, scientists at Idorsia synthesized over 25,000 compounds, from which the chemical molecule of daridorexant was selected.
Professor David N. Neubauer from Johns Hopkins University, USA: Unlike Traditional insomnia drugs that have a broad effect on the brain, dual orexin receptor antagonists like daridorexant, target specific areas in the hypothalamus, avoiding the adverse reactions associated with traditional sleep medications.
Professor Atul Khullar from the University of Alberta, Canada:
Daridorexant offers the dual benefit of improving patients' nighttime insomnia and improving their daytime function.
During the forum, the Chinese Sleep Research Society awarded plaques to 22 medical institutions across the country designating them as "Sleep Disorder Screening Bases". Afterwards, the venues in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu held synchronous discussions around two core topics. Topic one focused on new advances in insomnia treatment and innovative drugs, aiming to promote updates in clinical pathways. Topic two focused on building an integrated "Night-Day" management system to improve the daytime function of insomnia patients.
Daridorexant is currently marketed in multiple countries worldwide and is the only DORA approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) that is improving daytime function. The drug has received a Class I recommendation grade A evidence in the "Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Adult Insomnia (2023)"，the Chinese Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Insomnia Disorder, 2nd Edition (2025) lists QUVIVIQ® (daridorexant) as a strong recommendation (Grade A evidence). Daridorexant is a regular prescription medication which is not subject to psychotropic drug control, making it more accessible for Chinese patients.
The marketing launch of daridorexant has equipped Chinese clinicians and insomnia patients’ new options to achieve the goal of " Quality Sleep that Benefits Daytime Function ", providing important support for the "Healthy China" initiative.