People overly familiar with the abject misery of motion sickness have a new option \u2014 the first in 40 years \u2014 with approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of a pill called Nereus (tradipitant).<\/p>\n
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Motion sickness is a fairly common problem for people traveling by car, train, plane, and especially boat. Around the world, it affects about 1 in 3 people.<\/p>\n
While largely benign, motion sickness can be highly unpleasant \u2014 often causing nausea<\/a>, vomiting, and dizziness, as well as sweating, headache, and irritability in some cases.<\/p>\n [2]<\/p>\n [3]<\/p>\n What the Study Results Show<\/p>\n The FDA green-lighted Nereus on the basis\u00a0of clinical trials involving hundreds of participants.<\/p>\n In one late-stage clinical trial published in March 2025, scientists evaluated outcomes in nearly 400 individuals with a history of motion sickness who were randomly given tradipitant or a placebo (dummy pill) before embarking on boat trips under variable sea conditions.<\/p>\n [4]<\/p>\n Fewer than 20 percent of people who took tradipitant experienced vomiting, compared with more than 44 percent of those who took a placebo.<\/p>\n A separate, similar trial with about 300 participants showed that tradipitant was linked to preventing vomiting in about 90 percent of those who took a 170 milligram (mg) dose, and in about 80 percent who took 85 mg. In comparison, nearly two-thirds of people who took a placebo still experienced vomiting.<\/p>\n [5]<\/p>\n Tradipitant should be taken by mouth in a single-dose capsule of either 85 mg or 170 mg, about 60 minutes before an event expected to cause motion sickness. This is the maximum dosage recommended per 24 hours. The pill should be taken on an empty stomach, at least one hour before or two hours after a full meal.<\/p>\n [6]<\/p>\n How Does It Work?<\/p>\n Motion sickness is thought to happen when the brain gets conflicting sensory signals from your eyes, inner ear, and the body\u2019s innate sense of position and movement (called proprioception).<\/p>\n \u201cFor instance, while on a boat, your inner ear senses the rolling motion, but if you\u2019re inside looking at a stationary surface, your eyes signal that you\u2019re not moving,\u201d says Mihael H. Polymeropoulos, MD<\/a>, the CEO of Vanda Pharmaceuticals, the maker of the new medicine. \u201cThis mismatch confuses the brain,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n When this sickening sensation happens, the nervous system releases a chemical messenger called substance P, which then binds to receptors in the brain that activate the vomiting reflex \u2014 specifically neurokinin-1, or NK-1, receptors.<\/p>\n Tradipitant is a type of drug called an NK-1 antagonist, and it works by interrupting this pathway, blocking substance P from \u201cswitching on\u201d the vomiting receptor.<\/p>\n [7]<\/p>\n \u201cNereus marks an important advance because it introduces a completely new mechanism of action, grounded in current scientific understanding of the brain pathways that trigger vomiting,\u201d says Dr. Polymeropoulos.<\/p>\n Older remedies approved to treat motion sickness include antihistamines such as dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) and meclizine (Bonine\/Dramamine nondrowsy), and anticholinergics delivered via skin patch such as hyoscine (Scopolamine).<\/p>\n [7]<\/p>\n Polymeropoulos says Nereus avoids the common pitfalls of these earlier medications for motion sickness<\/a>, like drowsiness, dry mouth, and blurred vision.<\/p>\n Other NK-1 antagonists are already used for similar purposes, including:<\/p>\n [8]<\/p>\n [9]<\/p>\n Maropitant, for the prevention of vomiting in dogs and cats due to motion sicknessAprepitant, for prevention of nausea and vomiting in humans after surgeryA New Choice \u2014 but Is It More Effective?In a clinical study of tradipitant, side effects were infrequent and mild, with a small percent of users reporting sleepiness and fatigue. By comparison, the older treatments dimenhydrinate and hyoscine carry significant and hazardous side effects that may include cognitive impairment, confusion, and visual impairment, according to published research coauthored by Polymeropoulos on the drug.<\/p>\n [7]<\/p>\n Adrian Priesol, MD<\/a>, the medical director at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and an assistant professor of otolaryngology\u2013head and neck surgery at Harvard Medical School in Boston, views tradipitant as a new option for motion sickness that may help people who don’t respond as well to other treatments.<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s more effective than existing therapies, however, remains to be seen.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s unknown at this time, as there are no head-to-head comparison data I am aware of,\u201d says Dr. Priesol, who was not involved in the drug research.<\/p>\n \u201cThe new medication seems to work best on motion-induced vomiting, but it is not clear how effective it is in treating just nausea.\u201d<\/p>\n Could Tradipitant Help With GLP-1 Nausea?Vanda Pharmaceuticals has also been investigating tradipitant for relief in patients with \u00a0gastroparesis<\/a> (a chronic disorder characterized by delayed gastric emptying and persistent nausea and vomiting), as well as for the prevention of nausea and vomiting induced by\u00a0GLP-1 drugs<\/a> for obesity and\u00a0diabetes<\/a> treatment.<\/p>\n [1]<\/p>\n