Takeda Pharmaceutical said on Friday it would discontinue development of insomnia drug ramelteon in Europe, after feedback on development requirements from the region's regulatory body.

The drug, available as Rozerem in the United States and Japan, was once seen as a promising source of income for the Japanese firm, but sales never took off as expected because some patients found its effects were not as strong or immediate as desired.

Ramelteon works by targeting two melatonin receptors in the brain to regulate the body's sleep cycle.
(Reporting by Isabel Reynolds; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)