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SLEEP 2026 | Data on oveporexton and alixorexton in narcolepsy presented at SLEEP 2026
Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer, DO, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, comments on the data shared at SLEEP 2026 on orexin agonists in narcolepsy. Prof. Foldvary-Schaefer highlights encouraging outcomes in patients treated with oveporexton and alixorexton. This interview took place at the 40th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) in Baltimore, MD.
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Transcript
Yes, so the primary data shared at SLEEP 2026 was related to oveporexton, which has completed Phase III trials and has ongoing new trials, as well as alixorexton, which has completed Phase II trials in narcolepsy type one and narcolepsy type two. In oveporexton, we have narcolepsy type one trials. And what we see with both of these agents is remarkable improvements in objective daytime sleepiness as measured by the maintenance of wakefulness test...
Yes, so the primary data shared at SLEEP 2026 was related to oveporexton, which has completed Phase III trials and has ongoing new trials, as well as alixorexton, which has completed Phase II trials in narcolepsy type one and narcolepsy type two. In oveporexton, we have narcolepsy type one trials. And what we see with both of these agents is remarkable improvements in objective daytime sleepiness as measured by the maintenance of wakefulness test. Quite significant improvements such that a significant number of patients reach sort of a normal level on the MWT, as well as remarkable improvements on the Epworth sleepiness scale, which is our standard subjective measure of daytime sleepiness, again, of a magnitude that surpasses many other agents already on the market. But in addition to that, improvements in weekly cataplexy rate for patients with narcolepsy 1 that are also quite impressive and then improvements in clinician-rated and patient-reported quality of life and functional impairments. These drugs as a class have as common initial adverse events, urinary frequency and urinary urgency. This tends to be most bothersome to patients when they’re initially getting treated with these agents, and then this tends to dissipate with time. I just saw a patient who is in one of our open-label studies who no longer is bothered at all by these urinary symptoms. In addition, some patients may experience insomnia because these are alerting agents that have longer half-lives than some of the agents that we use routinely. But also, I think in the patients that I’ve managed through these clinical trials, this also is something that resolves with time. But these are thought to be adverse events or side effects that are related to the medication class rather than a specific orexin agonist. And perhaps due to some activation of the micturition pathway, which is a part of the brain that controls urinary symptoms.
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