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Narcolepsy type 1 is caused by severe loss or lack of brain orexin neuropeptides. We conducted a phase 2, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of TAK-994, an oral orexin receptor 2-selective agonist, in patients with narcolepsy type 1. Patients with confirmed narcolepsy type 1 according to clinical criteria were randomly assigned to receive twice-daily oral TAK-994 (30 mg, 90 mg, or 180 mg) or placebo. The primary end point was the mean change from baseline to week 8 in average sleep latency (the time it takes to fall asleep) on the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (range, 0 to 40 minutes; normal ability to stay awake, ≥20 minutes). Secondary end points included the change in the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score (range, 0 to 24, with higher scores indicating greater daytime sleepiness; normal, <10) and the weekly cataplexy rate. Of the 73 patients, 17 received TAK-994 at a dose of 30 mg twice daily, 20 received 90 mg twice daily, 19 received 180 mg twice daily, and 17 received placebo. The phase 2 trial and an extension trial were terminated early owing to hepatic adverse events. Primary end-point data were available for 41 patients (56%); the main reason for missing data was early trial termination. Least-squares mean changes to week 8 in average sleep latency on the MWT were 23.9 minutes in the 30-mg group, 27.4 minutes in the 90-mg group, 32.6 minutes in the 180-mg group, and -2.5 minutes in the placebo group (difference vs. placebo, 26.4 minutes in the 30-mg group, 29.9 minutes in the 90-mg group, and 35.0 minutes the 180-mg group; P<0.001 for all comparisons). Least-squares mean changes to week 8 in the ESS score were -12.2 in the 30-mg group, -13.5 in the 90-mg group, -15.1 in the 180-mg group, and -2.1 in the placebo group (difference vs. placebo, -10.1 in the 30-mg group, -11.4 in the 90-mg group, and -13.0 in the 180-mg group). Weekly incidences of cataplexy at week 8 were 0.27 in the 30-mg group, 1.14 in the 90-mg group, 0.88 in the 180-mg group, and 5.83 in the placebo group (rate ratio vs. placebo, 0.05 in the 30-mg group, 0.20 in the 90-mg group, and 0.15 in the 180-mg group). A total of 44 of 56 patients (79%) receiving TAK-994 had adverse events, most commonly urinary urgency or frequency. Clinically important elevations in liver-enzyme levels occurred in 5 patients, and drug-induced liver injury meeting Hy's law criteria occurred in 3 patients. In a phase 2 trial involving patients with narcolepsy type 1, an orexin receptor 2 agonist resulted in greater improvements on measures of sleepiness and cataplexy than placebo over a period of 8 weeks but was associated with hepatotoxic effects. (Funded by Takeda Development Center Americas; TAK-994-1501 and TAK-994-1504 ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT04096560 and NCT04820842.).

The orexin (hypocretin) system comprises two neuropeptides (orexin-A and orexin-B) and two G-protein coupled receptors (the orexin type 1 and the orexin type 2 receptor). The system regulates several biological functions including appetite, the sleep–wake cycle, the stress response, and motivation and reward processing . Dysfunction of the orexin system has been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression in human and animal studies, although the exact nature of this dysfunction remains unclear. Orexin receptor antagonists (ORAs) are a class of compounds developed for the treatment of insomnia and have demonstrated efficacy in this area. Three dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs) have received licences for treatment of primary insomnia and some ORAs have since been investigated as potential treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD). In this leading article, we summarise the existing literature on use of ORAs in depression, in pre-clinical and clinical studies. In rodent models of depression, investigated ORAs have included the DORA almorexant and TCS1102, the selective orexin 1 receptor antagonists SB334867 and SB674042 and the selective orexin 2 receptor antagonists LSN2424100, MK-1064 and TCS-OX2-29. These pre-clinical studies suggest a possible antidepressant effect of systemic DORA treatment, however the evidence from selective ORAs is conflicting. To date, four published RCTs (one with the DORA filorexant and three with the selective orexin 2 receptor antagonist seltorexant), have compared an ORA with placebo in the treatment of MDD. Only one of these demonstrated a statistically significant difference relative to placebo.

Background Insomnia is more common as people age. Several common hypnotics used to treat insomnia often do not adequately alleviate sleep issues in older adults and may be associated with negative residual effects such as an increased risk of falls, cognitive impairment, automobile accidents, and lack of response to auditory stimuli. The objective of these analyses of three clinical studies was to investigate the efficacy and safety of the dual orexin-receptor antagonist lemborexant (LEM) in older adults. Methods Study E2006-G000-304 (Study 304; NCT02783729) was a randomized, double-blind, placebo (PBO)-controlled, active-comparator trial where subjects with insomnia disorder received LEM 5 mg (LEM5), LEM 10 mg (LEM10), zolpidem tartrate extended-release 6.25 mg (ZOL), or PBO for 30 days. In crossover Study E2006-E044-106 (Study 106; NCT02583451), healthy subjects (good sleepers) received LEM 2.5 mg, LEM5, LEM10, or PBO for eight nights or zopiclone on days 1 and 8 (and PBO on days 2–7). In crossover Study E2006-A001-108 (Study 108; NCT03008447), healthy subjects received a single dose of LEM5, LEM10, PBO, or ZOL. Sleep assessments included polysomnography-based latency to persistent sleep (LPS), wake after sleep onset (WASO), WASO in the second half of the night (WASO2H), sleep efficiency, postural stability, middle-of-the-night and next-day cognitive performance, middle-of-the-night auditory awakening threshold and return-to-sleep latency, and driving performance. Results Overall, 453 of 1006 (45%; Study 304), 24 of 48 (50%; Study 106), and 28 of 56 (50%; Study 108) subjects were aged ≥ 65 years. In Study 304, LEM decreased (improved) LPS, WASO, and WASO2H from baseline more than ZOL and PBO; subjects treated with LEM had greater increases in sleep efficiency (improved) than with ZOL or PBO. In both Studies 304 and 108, postural stability was not impaired at waketime in subjects who received LEM compared with PBO. At waketime, LEM did not impair memory compared with PBO. In Study 108, following middle-of-the-night awakening, LEM and ZOL did not affect subjects’ ability to awaken to auditory stimuli; LEM did not affect tests of memory and attention. In Study 106, LEM did not impair next-day driving performance in healthy elderly compared with PBO. LEM was well tolerated in subjects aged ≥ 65 years. Conclusions LEM provided benefits on sleep variables without next-morning residual effects in subjects aged ≥ 65 years, supporting LEM as a treatment option for older adults with insomnia. Trial Registration Numbers and Dates of Registration Study 304: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT02783729, date of registration, 26 May 2016. Study 106: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT02583451, date of registration, 22 October 2015. Study 108: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT03008447, date of registration, 2 January 2017. Plain Language Summary The prevalence of insomnia increases with age; however, some hypnotics used for treating insomnia do not adequately resolve sleep problems in older adults and may be associated with adverse residual effects. Specifically, some hypnotics pose safety concerns in this population of patients who are generally more vulnerable to treatment-related effects, including increasing the risk of falls, risks of cognitive impairment, automobile accidents, and unresponsiveness to auditory stimuli. Safer and more effective insomnia medications are needed to reduce sleep problems with improved side-effect profiles. This analysis of lemborexant clinical studies conducted in adult subjects at least 65 years old found the drug to be effective without impairing memory, attention or balance the following day compared with placebo. These subjects were normal sleepers (for age) or had insomnia disorder. Furthermore, lemborexant was not associated with impaired ability to drive the next morning or awaken to loud middle-of-the-night sounds. Lemborexant was well tolerated in these older adults, similar to findings for adults aged at least 18 years. These findings indicate that lemborexant may be an appropriate treatment option for insomnia in older adults.

Abstract Study Objectives The neuropeptide orexin promotes wakefulness, modulates thermoregulation, increases after menopause, and is normalized in women receiving estrogen therapy, suggesting a role for orexin antagonism as a treatment for the vasomotor symptom (VMS)-associated insomnia disorder. We tested the efficacy of the dual orexin receptor antagonist suvorexant for chronic insomnia related to nighttime VMS. Methods In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 56 women with chronic insomnia associated with nighttime VMS, Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) scores ≥15, and >30 min of diary-rated wake after sleep-onset (WASO) were randomized to receive oral suvorexant 10–20 mg (n = 27) or placebo (n = 29) nightly for 4 weeks. Analysis of within-person change in ISI was adjusted for baseline ISI and race. Results Mean baseline ISI scores were 18.1 (95% CI, 16.8 to 19.4) and 18.3 (95% CI, 17.2 to 19.5) in the suvorexant and placebo groups, respectively (p = .81). The average 4-week ISI within-person decrease from baseline was greater on suvorexant (−8.1 [95% CI, −10.2 to −6.0]) compared to placebo (−5.6 [95% CI, −7.4 to −3.9], p = .04). Compared to placebo, nighttime diary-rated VMS frequency was significantly reduced with suvorexant (p < .01). While diary-rated WASO and total sleep time trended toward improvement on suvorexant, findings were not significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons. Daytime VMS and other sleep-related outcomes did not differ between groups. Suvorexant was well tolerated. Conclusion These results suggest that suvorexant is likely a well-tolerated and efficacious treatment for VMS-associated insomnia disorder and reduces nighttime VMS. Antagonism of orexin receptors could provide a novel therapeutic option for midlife women with VMS-associated chronic insomnia. Clinical Trial Information Efficacy of Suvorexant in the Treatment of Hot Flash-associated Insomnia, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03034018, ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03034018.

Narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) is a sleep disorder caused by a loss of orexinergic neurons. Narcolepsy type 2 (NT2) is heterogeneous; affected individuals typically have normal orexin levels. Following evaluation in mice, the effects of the orexin 2 receptor (OX2R)-selective agonist danavorexton were evaluated in single- and multiple-rising-dose studies in healthy adults, and in individuals with NT1 and NT2. In orexin/ataxin-3 narcolepsy mice, danavorexton reduced sleep/wakefulness fragmentation and cataplexy-like episodes during the active phase. In humans, danavorexton administered intravenously was well tolerated and was associated with marked improvements in sleep latency in both NT1 and NT2. In individuals with NT1, danavorexton dose-dependently increased sleep latency in the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test, up to the ceiling effect of 40 min, in both the single- and multiple-rising-dose studies. These findings indicate that OX2Rs remain functional despite long-term orexin loss in NT1. OX2R-selective agonists are a promising treatment for both NT1 and NT2.

Augmentation, a long-term complication of dopamine agonist treatment for restless legs syndrome (RLS), is preceded by a gradual loss of response. We investigated whether prior long-term dopaminergic treatment affects current and future responses to dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic drugs, which would suggest broader changes in RLS pathophysiology. We retrospectively analysed two previously published, double-blind, randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled studies with the adenosine transport inhibitor dipyridamole and the orexin receptor antagonist suvorexant. Post hoc analyses compared responses between dopaminergic (DA)-naïve and dopaminergic (DA)-treated patients with RLS. None of these patients met the diagnostic criteria for augmentation. After a 2-week washout, patients received active treatment (10-20 mg suvorexant or 200-300 mg dipyridamole) or placebo for 2 weeks, followed by crossover. Efficacy was assessed using the International RLS Rating Scale (IRLS), Clinical Global Impressions-Severity scale (CGI-S), multiple suggested immobilization test (m-SIT), periodic leg movements of sleep (PLMS) and other polysomnographic measures. A total of 28 patients participated in the dipyridamole study (DA-pretreated, n = 10; DA-naïve group, n = 18), and 40 participated in the suvorexant study (DA-pretreated, n = 9; DA-naïve group, n = 31). Compared with DA-naïve patients, DA-pretreated patients responded significantly worse to both treatments on the basis of the IRLS, CGI-S, m-SIT, PLMS indices. There were no differences in sleep parameters. Our results suggest that previous long-term dopaminergic treatment, even before clinical augmentation is reached, induces pathophysiological changes in RLS that impair future responses to both dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic therapies. Our findings confirm previous results with gabapentin enacarbil and suggest that these changes develop well before clinical augmentation appears. Pathophysiological implications for the understanding of dopaminergic augmentation are discussed. Our results support the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommendation against using dopamine agonists as the initial choice for RLS treatment.

To examine the duration and frequency of wake bouts underlying the wakefulness-after-sleep-onset (WASO) reduction with suvorexant. We analyzed polysomnogram recordings from clinical trials involving 1518 insomnia patients receiving suvorexant (40/30, 20/15 mg) or placebo to determine the following: (1) the number of, and time spent in, long or short wake bouts and (2) the association between sleep quality and bout characteristics. We also compared wake and sleep bout characteristics of suvorexant in insomnia patients versus zolpidem in healthy subjects undergoing experimentally induced transient insomnia. Relative to placebo, suvorexant decreased the number and time spent in long wake bouts (>2 minutes) and increased the number and time spent in short wake bouts (≤2 minutes). The time spent in long wake bouts during Night-1 decreased by 32-54 minutes, whereas the time spent in short wake bouts increased by 2-6 minutes. On average, a patient returned to sleep from his or her longest awakening more than twice as fast on suvorexant than placebo. The reduced time spent in long wake bouts resulted in odds ratios of self-reported good or excellent sleep quality ranging from 1.59 to 2.19 versus placebo. The small increase in time spent in short wake bouts had no effect on odds ratios. Findings were more pronounced for the higher (40/30 mg) doses of suvorexant. The wake and sleep bout characteristics of suvorexant differed from zolpidem which equally decreased the number of wake and sleep bouts of all durations during the early part of the night. Suvorexant reduces WASO by reducing long wake bouts. This reduction has a positive effect on sleep quality. Trial registration at www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT01097616; NCT01097629.

Poor sleep is a modifiable factor associated with the development and progression of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Pharmacological treatments and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) which promote sleep have the potential to improve AD risk profile. In addition, prior research suggests that Dual Orexin Receptor Antagonists (DORAs), which are prescribed more and more to treat insomnia, could also help to decrease tau phosphorylation and concentrations of beta-amyloid (Aβ) in the cerebrospinal fluid. To study the impact of Lemborexant, a DORA, with or without CBT-I on AD blood biomarkers and on cognitive performance in a population at risk of developing AD dementia. We will conduct a double-blind randomized clinical trial in men and women aged 50 to 90 years old with symptoms of insomnia. 220 participants will be screened and randomized into 4 treatment groups over 12 months: Lemborexant, Lemborexant plus CBT-I, placebo, or placebo plus CBT-I. All participants will receive education on sleep hygiene measures. Change in (1) plasma p-tau181 and (2) modified Preclinical Alzheimer's Cognitive Composite score from baseline to 12-months. Change in (1) plasma p-tau217, (2) CSF Aβ 42/40 and CSF p-tau181, and (3) objective sleep measures measured with electroencephalogram (EEG) recording from baseline to 12-months. We anticipate that Lemborexant will be associated with a reduction in plasma p-tau181 over time compared to placebo. Lemborexant will improve sleep and cognitive performance compared to placebo, and the addition of CBT-I will accentuate the beneficial effect on sleep and cognition but not on AD biomarkers. This study will grant us an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the therapeutic potential of sleep interventions and the influence of DORAs on AD prevention.

Background:Filorexant (MK-6096) is an orexin receptor antagonist; here, we evaluate the efficacy of filorexant in the treatment of insomnia in adults.Methods:A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, two 4-week–period, adaptive crossover polysomnography study was conducted at 51 sites worldwide. Patients (18 to <65 years) with insomnia received 1 of 4 doses of oral filorexant (2.5, 5, 10, 20mg) once daily at bedtime during one period and matching placebo in the other period in 1 of 8 possible treatment sequences. Polysomnography was performed on night 1 and end of week 4 of each period. The primary endpoint was sleep efficiency at night 1 and end of week 4. Secondary endpoints included wakefulness after persistent sleep onset and latency to onset of persistent sleep.Results:A total of 324 patients received study treatment, 315 received ≥1 dose of placebo, and 318 ≥1 dose of filorexant (2.5mg, n=79; 5mg, n=78; 10mg, n=80; 20mg, n=81). All filorexant doses (2.5/5/10/20mg) were significantly superior to placebo in improving sleep among patients with insomnia as measured by sleep efficiency and wakefulness after persistent sleep onset on night 1 and end of week 4. The 2 higher filorexant doses (10/20mg) were also significantly more effective than placebo in improving sleep onset as measured by latency to onset of persistent sleep at night 1 and end of week 4. Filorexant was generally well tolerated.Conclusions:Orexin receptor antagonism by filorexant significantly improved sleep efficiency in nonelderly patients with insomnia. Dose-related improvements in sleep onset and maintenance outcomes were also observed with filorexant.

Introduction Insomnia is a prevalent yet under-characterized disorder, particularly regarding the heterogeneity of patients and their associated responses to different treatment modalities. This often leads to suboptimal management. There is a need to consider personalized approaches tailored to the characteristics of insomnia phenotypes with regard to objective evidence of shortened sleep duration (< 6 h). This study will examine whether there is a differential treatment response to cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) versus pharmacotherapy (lemborexant) as a function of insomnia phenotypes (i.e., ± 6 h of sleep). Methods This study is a three-arm pragmatic randomized clinical trial, which will enroll 90 adults with chronic insomnia disorder and anxiety/depressive symptoms. Eligible participants will be randomized to one of three conditions (1:1:1) involving CBT-I, lemborexant (Dual Orexin Receptor Antagonist) or placebo medication. Treatment outcomes will be assessed at post-treatment and 6-month follow-up. Insomnia symptom severity as measured by the Insomnia Severity Index will serve as the primary outcome for treatment comparisons. Secondary outcomes will include daily sleep/wake variables derived from the Consensus Sleep Diary, subjective measures of fatigue, mood, mental well-being, functional impairments, and sleep-related beliefs and attitudes. In addition, changes in cognitive performance will be examined as an exploratory outcome. Sleep reactivity and arousal level will be evaluated as potential mediators of treatment-related changes in CBT-I and pharmacotherapy. Discussion This study will contribute to the development of personalized medicine for managing different insomnia phenotypes and will have implication for knowledge mobilization of sleep research. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov. Identifier: NCT06779149. Registered on 12 January 2025.