Narcolepsy is a chronic and disabling
neurological disorder characterized by
excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and
cataplexy. Historically, some medications have demonstrated efficacy in managing EDS and
cataplexy symptoms. However, some patients cannot tolerate them, become refractory, or may use concomitant medications that preclude the use due to
drug-drug interaction. Therefore, there is a necessity to explore the efficacy of new treatments, such as
solriamfetol (JZP-110), a 2019 FDA-approved
drug indicated to improve wakefulness in adults with EDS associated with
narcolepsy. We conducted this systematic review to investigate the effectiveness of
solriamfetol in EDS and
cataplexy, and the
drug's overall safety. For this study, we used the
PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines and MOOSE protocol. After an initial search of 119 papers, we included four clinical trials to investigate and analyze the use of
solriamfetol for the treatment of
narcolepsy.
Solriamfetol was proven to improve objective measures of EDS in all clinical trials. We conducted this systematic review using objective measures such as the Epworth
Sleepiness Scale and the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test. Overall,
cataplexy was not formally evaluated in the four clinical trials; however, it demonstrated that EDS improved in patients with and without
cataplexy. More clinical trials are needed to analyze the efficacy of
solriamfetol on
cataplexy. The effect of
solriamfetol in EDS seems to be conclusive.