People overly familiar with the abject misery of motion sickness have a new option — the first in 40 years — with approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of a pill called Nereus (tradipitant).
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.
While largely benign, motion sickness can be highly unpleasant — often causing nausea, vomiting, and dizziness, as well as sweating, headache, and irritability in some cases.
What the Study Results Show
The FDA green-lighted Nereus on the basis of clinical trials involving hundreds of participants.
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.
Fewer than 20 percent of people who took tradipitant experienced vomiting, compared with more than 44 percent of those who took a placebo.
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.
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.
How Does It Work?
Motion sickness is thought to happen when the brain gets conflicting sensory signals from your eyes, inner ear, and the body’s innate sense of position and movement (called proprioception).
“For instance, while on a boat, your inner ear senses the rolling motion, but if you’re inside looking at a stationary surface, your eyes signal that you’re not moving,” says Mihael H. Polymeropoulos, MD, the CEO of Vanda Pharmaceuticals, the maker of the new medicine. “This mismatch confuses the brain,” he says.
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 — specifically neurokinin-1, or NK-1, receptors.
Tradipitant is a type of drug called an NK-1 antagonist, and it works by interrupting this pathway, blocking substance P from “switching on” the vomiting receptor.
“Nereus 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,” says Dr. Polymeropoulos.
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).
Other NK-1 antagonists are already used for similar purposes, including:
Maropitant, for the prevention of vomiting in dogs and cats due to motion sickness
Aprepitant, for prevention of nausea and vomiting in humans after surgery
A New Choice — 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.
Adrian Priesol, MD, the medical director at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and an assistant professor of otolaryngology–head 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.
Whether it’s more effective than existing therapies, however, remains to be seen.
“That’s unknown at this time, as there are no head-to-head comparison data I am aware of,” says Dr. Priesol, who was not involved in the drug research.
“The new medication seems to work best on motion-induced vomiting, but it is not clear how effective it is in treating just nausea.”
Could Tradipitant Help With GLP-1 Nausea?
Vanda Pharmaceuticals has also been investigating tradipitant for relief in patients with gastroparesis (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 GLP-1 drugs for obesity and diabetes treatment.
Nausea and vomiting are frequent side effects of GLP-1s, and they are some of the most frequently cited reasons that people stop taking these drugs.
Vanda Pharmaceuticals says it has recently completed a clinical study suggesting that tradipitant can substantially reduce nausea and vomiting caused by Wegovy (semaglutide), though this indication is still investigational.
Nondrug Options for Motion Sickness and Vomiting
While medication can be very effective at reducing motion sickness, Priesol points out that some patients find relief with nondrug solutions, including:
Minimal sensory conflict: For example, keep your eyes on the road when you're a passenger in a moving vehicle, or sit in the front of a boat to keep a fixed view on the horizon.
Behavioral techniques: Controlled breathing and relaxation may ease discomfort.
Ginger candies: Some find that this natural remedy eases queasiness.
Acupressure wristbands: Also called “sea bands,” these simple devices are thought to work by influencing energy pathways, potentially releasing endorphins and altering neurotransmitters.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
Vanda Pharmaceuticals Announces FDA Approval of NEREUS (tradipitant) for the Prevention of Vomiting Induced by Motion: A Historic Scientific Milestone in the Prevention of Motion Sickness. Vanda Pharmaceuticals. December 30, 2025.
Takov V et al. Motion Sickness. StatPearls. July 3, 2023.
Polymeropoulos V et al. Motion Syros: Tradipitant Effective in the Treatment of Motion Sickness; a Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Frontiers in Neurology. March 3, 2025.
Vanda Pharmaceuticals Reports Positive Results from a Second Phase III Study of Tradipitant in Motion Sickness. Vanda Pharmaceuticals. May 15, 2024.
Polymeropoulos V et al. Tradipitant in the Treatment of Motion Sickness: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Frontiers in Neurology. September 29, 2020.
Conder GA et al. Efficacy and safety of Maropitant, a Selective Neurokinin 1 Receptor Antagonist, in Two Randomized Clinical Trials for Prevention of Vomiting Due to Motion Sickness in Dogs. Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. December 2008.
Carlin JL et al. Efficacy and Safety of Tradipitant in Patients With Diabetic and Idiopathic Gastroparesis in a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Gastroenterology. July 18, 2020.
Kim JA et al. Exploring the Side Effects of GLP-1 Receptor Agonist: To Ensure Its Optimal Positioning. Diabetes & Metabolism Journal. July 1, 2025.
Emily Kay Votruba has copy edited and fact-checked for national magazines, websites, and books since 1997, including Self, GQ, Gourmet, Golf Magazine,Outside, Cornell University Press, Penguin Random House, and Harper's Magazine. Her projects have included cookbooks (Padma Lakshmi's Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet), self-help and advice titles (Mika Brzezinski's Know Your Value: Women, Money, and Getting What You're Worth), memoirs (Larry King's My Remarkable Journey), and science (Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Learn, by Cathy Davidson). She started freelancing for Everyday Health in 2016.
Don Rauf has been a freelance health writer for over 12 years and his writing has been featured in HealthDay, CBS News, WebMD, U.S. News & World Report, Mental Floss, United Press International (UPI), Health, and MedicineNet. He was previously a reporter for DailyRx.com where he covered stories related to cardiology, diabetes, lung cancer, prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, menopause, and allergies. He has interviewed doctors and pharmaceutical representatives in the U.S. and abroad.
He is a prolific writer and has written more than 50 books, including Lost America: Vanished Civilizations, Abandoned Towns, and Roadside Attractions. Rauf lives in Seattle, Washington.
