While GHB is generally viewed as a dangerous drug, under controlled circumstances it may have therapeutic effects for people with specific disorders. In recent years, one U.S. pharmaceutical company has pursued GHB as a possible treatment for the severe, chronic sleep disorder called narcolepsy.

The company, Orphan Medical Inc., began exploring the use of GHB as a solution for narcolepsy in the 1990s. When GHB was classified in 2000 as a dangerous drug with no medical benefits, Orphan Medical received an exemption to pursue research on its use for treating narcolepsy.

With no effective treatment for narcolepsy currently available, the approximately 100,000 to 125,000 people in the United States afflicted with the often debilitating disease are eager for this research to yield a therapeutic drug. Narcolepsy causes excessive daytime sleepiness often accompanied by cataplexy, a sudden loss of muscle tone in response to strong emotions. Cataplexy...