Armodafinil

Armodafinil, sold under the brand name Nuvigil, is a wakefulness-promoting medication that is used to treat excessive daytime sleepiness associated with obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and shift work disorder. It is also used off-label for certain other indications. The drug is taken by mouth. Side effects of armodafinil include headache, nausea, dizziness, and insomnia. Armodafinil acts as a selective atypical dopamine reuptake inhibitor (DRI) and hence as an indirect dopamine receptor agonist. Nonetheless, other mechanisms might also be involved in its effects. Chemically, armodafinil is the enantiopure (R)-(–)-enantiomer of the racemic mixture modafinil (brand name Provigil). Both enantiomers of modafinil are active as DRIs and wakefulness-promoting agents, but armodafinil is more potent and has a much longer half-life and duration. Armodafinil is produced by the pharmaceutical company Cephalon and was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2007. In 2016, the FDA granted Mylan rights for the first generic version of armodafinil to be marketed in the United States.