Report of the Institute of Medicine Committee on the efficacy and safety of Halcion

Recent estimates indicate that there is a 10% prevalence of chronic insomnia in the adult population of the United States, with an associated annual cost of $90 to $107 billion. Since its approval in 1982 for use in the treatment of insomnia, an estimated 11 billion prescriptions for Halcion (triazolam) have been filled worldwide. Halcion refers to the actual product that is manufactured and marketed by the Upjohn Co (hereinafter, Upjohn), Kalamazoo, Mich. Triazolam is the generic name of the pure active ingredient in Halcion. The committee uses the term Halcion in the text when it discusses clinical trials or events involving the actual product; otherwise, the committee uses the term triazolam.