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.
Keywords: cataplexy; excessive daytime sleepiness; narcolepsy; pitolisant; solriamfetol; systematic review.
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