# Wake-up haul: an Ozempic moment for the brain

An episode of [The Intelligence from The Economist](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1449631195), 19 Aug 2026, 22 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/acast/s/theintelligencepodcast/e/6a85798d1ad8716bb6078744/media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=uJAW_jbwPxHNZ0qPVaCUqRYpYkcd1YnSwzieD2_U8WE

Orexins are peptides involved in the body’s sleep-wake system—and are big pharma’s next big thing. Like multi-purpose GLPs, they may have far more uses than just regulating shuteye. We ask why Japan’s post-war innovation boom petered out, and what must be done to breed more unicorns. And why procrastination seems to be on the rise, and how to beat it. Guests and host: • Shailesh Chitnis, global business correspondent • Ethan Wu, Asia business and finance editor • Benjamin Sutherland, science writer • Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence” • Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered: • orexins, peptides, sleep disorders, pharmaceuticals • Japan, innovation, startups • procrastination Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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