You have a point - nothing better then having people doing un-responsible research for you.
It works you win, it dosen't you disavow all knowledge...
The research involved in getting this drug approved for the limited amount of patients is simply out of the question.
Not going to happen.
There's nothing stopping a doctor from simply trying it, as is the case for off label uses of most medicines.
I wouldn't be too sure about that. With exciting results like these in what were considered hopeless cases, zolpidem is going to be studied. And if it proves successful, it's going to become standard of care, whether or not the FDA approves it.
I'm curious about several things, but a few right off the bat:
1. Are the patients involved PVS or MCS (minimally conscious state)?
2. Does the patient's brain have to be basically anatomically intact? (If the theory involving GABA is correct, I'd guess "yes.")
3. How long is "transient"? One description I found seemed to say that the patient involved had only a brief lucid time each morning. (It would be truly hard to have a loved one back for only 10 minutes each day!) More hopefully, another report for a different patient mentioned 3 to 4 hours.
Isn't this just an off-label use of a drug that's already been approved?
All that happens is the word gets out that this works on some patients and doctors will start trying it.