ONE PEPTIDE has recently transformed(彻底改变) medicine. Drugs based on glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a hormone released by the gut after a meal, began as treatments for diabetes before proving remarkably good at helping people shed weight(减轻体重). They have since shown benefits in the fields of heart disease, kidney disease, sleep apnoea and other ailments(小病，疾病). Drugmakers are now betting that two other peptides, the orexins, could follow a similar path for a variety of brain-related ailments.(制药商押注另外两种肽——食欲素——可能沿类似路径治疗多种脑部疾病。)
一种肽最近改变了医学。基于胰高血糖素样肽-1（GLP-1）的药物——一种餐后由肠道释放的激素——最初用于治疗糖尿病，后来被证明在帮助人们减肥方面效果显著。此后，它们在心脏病、肾病、睡眠呼吸暂停和其他疾病领域也显示出益处。制药商现在押注，另外两种肽——食欲素——可能沿着类似的路径，用于治疗多种与大脑相关的疾病。
Orexins are a pair of neurotransmitters(神经递质)—chemicals that carry messages between neurons(神经元). One of the main jobs of these particular neurotransmitters is to regulate wakefulness(清醒状态). And a new generation of(新一代的) drugs designed to(旨在，为……而设计) mimic their effects is approaching the market.
食欲素是一对神经递质——即在神经元之间传递信息的化学物质。这些特殊神经递质的主要工作之一是调节清醒状态。而新一代旨在模仿其作用的药物正接近市场。
On August 5th America’s drug regulator(监管机构) approved(批准) oveporexton, made by Takeda, a Japanese pharmaceutical firm, as the first orexin agonist(激动剂) (ie, molecule that stimulates the same cell-surface receptors) for narcolepsy(发作性睡病), a disorder that leaves patients excessively sleepy by day and prone to nod off(打瞌睡) without warning. Alkermes, an Irish biotech, is developing a competitor. Eli Lilly, whose fortunes GLP-1s have transformed, does not intend to(不打算) miss another peptide boom(繁荣，热潮). In June it bought Centessa, a biotech with an orexin drug in early trials, in a deal worth up to $7.8bn, depending on the trials’ success. Morgan Stanley, a bank, reckons(估计，认为) orexin medicines could generate $16bn a year by 2035 from narcolepsy and related sleep disorders alone. The current crop of(当前一批) narcolepsy drugs, by contrast(相比之下), have annual sales of some $3bn.
8月5日，美国药品监管机构批准了日本制药公司武田生产的oveporexton，作为首个用于治疗发作性睡病的食欲素激动剂（即刺激相同细胞表面受体的分子）。发作性睡病是一种让患者白天过度嗜睡、容易毫无征兆地打瞌睡的疾病。爱尔兰生物技术公司Alkermes正在开发一种竞品。因GLP-1而命运改变的礼来公司不打算错过另一场肽类热潮。6月，它以高达78亿美元的价格收购了拥有一种早期试验阶段食欲素药物的生物技术公司Centessa，具体金额取决于试验成功与否。摩根士丹利银行估计，到2035年，仅发作性睡病及相关睡眠障碍就能为食欲素药物带来每年160亿美元的收入。相比之下，目前现有的发作性睡病药物年销售额约为30亿美元。
You are feeling sleepy...
你感到困倦……
Dreaming big
远大梦想