Opportunities for Pharma in narcolepsy

The narcolepsy therapeutics developmental pipeline is weak, with only six molecules in development, providing opportunities for drugs companies to expand into this market, a new study by health care intelligence specialist GlobalData has found.

The study found that while narcolepsy sufferers are fairly well-served by current approved products, generics and off-label drugs, patients that develop cataplexy – a sudden loss of muscle tone that results from a severe emotional trigger - are less catered for, with only Belgian drugmaker UCB’s Xyrem (sodium oxybate) approved to treat the symptom, while antidepressants are largely used off-label.

Bioproject candidate offers most hope