Nepal: Solriamfetol is safe and effective for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or narcolepsy, a recent study in the journal Sleep Medicine.
Solriamfetol is a selective norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor approved for EDS. Excessive daytime sleepiness is the inability to maintain alertness and wakefulness during the daytime. In EDS sleep occurs unintentionally or at inappropriate times. Excessive daytime sleepiness is a symptom of narcolepsy and obstructive sleep apnea.
Roshan Subedi, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal, and colleagues performed this review to assess the efficacy and safety of solriamfetol in patients with EDS in narcolepsy or OSA.
The researchers conducted a systematic search of the electronic database for relevant studies. Inclusion criteria were RCTs with outcome measures on the efficacy or safety of solriamfetol in EDS. They identified 336 records from the database search. Eight articles reported from six clinical trials were analyzed. Outcome measures were pooled from five trials.
The primary outcomes were mean difference in the maintenance of wakefulness test (MWT), Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) score, and risk ratio of adverse events. The random-effects model was used to calculate pooled effect estimates.
Key findings of the study include:
The overall mean difference for MWT was 9.93 min, and the mean difference of ESS score was −4.44, both in favor of solriamfetol over placebo.
The overall risk ratio of adverse events with solriamfetol was 1.47.
The most common adverse events reported were headache, nausea, decreased appetite, anxiety, nasopharyngitis, and insomnia.
"Solriamfetol is well tolerated and may be recommended for the treatment of EDS in patients with OSA or narcolepsy," concluded the authors.
The study, "Efficacy and safety of solriamfetol for excessive daytime sleepiness in narcolepsy and obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials," is published in the journal Sleep Medicine.
DOI: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389945720304226