Pitolisant for Daytime Sleepiness in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Who Refuse Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Treatment. A Randomized Trial.

Abstract

Rationale: Excessive daytime sleepiness is a common disabling symptom in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of pitolisant, a selective histamine H3 receptor antagonist with wake-promoting effects, for the treatment of daytime sleepiness in patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea refusing continuous positive airway pressure treatment.Methods: In an international, multicenter, double-blind, randomized (3:1), placebo-controlled, parallel-design trial, pitolisant was individually titrated at up to 20 mg/d over 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was the change in the Epworth Sleepiness Scale score. Key secondary endpoints were maintenance of wakefulness assessed on the basis of the Oxford Sleep Resistance test, safety, Clinical Global Impression of severity, patient's global opinion, EuroQol quality-of-life questionnaire, and Pichot fatigue questionnaire.Measurements and Main Results: A total of 268 patients with obstructive sleep apnea (75% male; mean age, 52 yr; apnea-hypopnea index, 49/h; baseline sleepiness score, 15.7) were randomized (200 to pitolisant and 68 to placebo) and analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale score was reduced more with pitolisant than with placebo (-2.8; 95% confidence interval, -4.0 to -1.5; P < 0.001). Wake maintenance tests were not improved. The Pichot fatigue score was reduced with pitolisant. The overall impact of pitolisant was confirmed by both physicians' and patients' questionnaires. Adverse event incidence, mainly headache, insomnia, nausea, and vertigo, was similar in the pitolisant and placebo groups (29.5% and 25.4%, respectively), with no cardiovascular or other significant safety concerns.Conclusions: Pitolisant significantly reduced self-reported daytime sleepiness and fatigue and improved patient-reported outcomes and physician disease severity assessment in sleepy patients with obstructive sleep apnea refusing or nonadherent to continuous positive airway pressure.Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01072968) and EU Clinical Trials Register (EudraCT 2009-017251-94).

• Authors: Yves Dauvilliers, Johan Verbraecken, Markku Partinen, Jan Hedner, Tarja Saaresranta, Ognian Georgiev, Rumen Tiholov, Isabelle Lecomte, Renaud Tamisier, Patrick Lévy, Catherine Scart-Gres, Jeanne-Marie Lecomte, Jean-Charles Schwartz, Jean-Louis Pépin, HAROSA II Study Group collaborators
• Journal: American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine (Am J Respir Crit Care Med) Vol. 201 Issue 9 Pg. 1135-1145 (05 01 2020) ISSN: 1535-4970 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 31917607 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Piperidines
• Receptors, Histamine H3
• pitolisant

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
• Disorders of Excessive Somnolence (drug therapy, etiology)
• Double-Blind Method
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Piperidines (therapeutic use)
• Receptors, Histamine H3 (therapeutic use)
• Self Report
• Sleep Apnea, Obstructive (complications, drug therapy)
• Surveys and Questionnaires
• Treatment Outcome