Instead, it was an effective treatment for narcolepsy, a disorder marked by excessive daytime sleepiness.

FORBES: Cephalon Beats Street Without A Blockbuster

Of course, the vast majority of people with excessive daytime sleepiness don't have hypersomnia most just don't get enough sleep at night.

WSJ: Unraveling the Riddle of Too Much Sleep

Take, for instance, ProVigil, which is used to treat excessive daytime sleepiness.

FORBES: InterMune Gets Around The FDA

After all, if Xyrem got knocked by 20 out of 22 advisers to the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for pain, how could it be something regulators could OK just to ease some excessive daytime sleepiness?

FORBES: Defending The Narcolepsy 'Date Rape' Drug

And when sleeping pills aren't enough to help patients stay alert, a wakefulness drug called Provigil is already approved for excessive daytime sleepiness caused by narcolepsy, sleep apnea and shift-work sleep disorder--the exhaustion brought on in some people by working the night shift.

FORBES: Sleep On Demand