FDA approves Jazz Pharmaceutical’s NDA for solriamfetol in OSA patients

Jazz Pharmaceuticals affirmed that the U.S Food and Drug Administration has conceded for filing with standard review the company’s New Drug Application requesting marketing approval for solriamfetol which is an investigational medicine for the diagnosis of excessive sleepiness in adult patients with narcolepsy or obstructive sleep Apnea. 

The Prescription Drug User Fee Act goal date for and FDA decision is December 20,2018.

Karen Smith, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president, research and development and chief medical officer at Jazz Pharmaceuticals said “Jazz continues to invest in ongoing research, education and advocacy on behalf of the sleep community, including studying solriamfetol for the treatment of excessive sleepiness in other areas of unmet need, such as Parkinson’s disease.”

The solriamfetol Phase 3 clinical program includes one study evaluating excessive sleepiness in adult patients with narcolepsy (TONES 2), two studies evaluating excessive sleepiness in adult patients with OSA (TONES 3 and TONES 4), and an open-label, long-term safety and maintenance of efficacy study (TONES 5) in the treatment of excessive sleepiness in patients with narcolepsy or OSA.

OSA is a prevalent disease (as high as 14% in men and 5% in women) with excessive sleepiness being a major presenting complaint in many cases. Excessive sleepiness in OSA is associated with impairments in cognitive function, safety, productivity, interpersonal relationships, and overall quality of life. Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) therapy, with its most common form being Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), has been shown to be an effective therapy for sleep-related airway obstruction, with frequent improvement in excessive sleepiness in many patients.