Work

A Patient-centric Clinical Trial Design to Comprehensively Evaluate Low-Sodium Oxybate in People with Idiopathic Hypersomnia or Narcolepsy

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Low-sodium oxybate (LXB; Xywav®) is approved to treat idiopathic hypersomnia in adults and excessive daytime sleepiness or cataplexy in individuals aged ≥ 7 years with narcolepsy. The efficacy and safety of LXB have been demonstrated in randomized controlled trials. This study will comprehensively evaluate multiple daytime and nighttime symptoms in participants with idiopathic hypersomnia and participants with narcolepsy treated with LXB. Jazz DUET (Develop hypersomnia Understanding by Evaluating low-sodium oxybate Treatment; NCT05875974) is a prospective, multi-cohort, multicenter, single-arm, open-label, interventional study. Establishing multiple cohorts across different diseases aligns with more generalizable research designs enabling a broader impact. Total study duration is ~ 10–21 weeks, which includes a 2- to 6-week screening period, an 8-day baseline period, a 2- to 8-week titration period, a 2-week stable-dose period, a 1- to 2-week end-of-treatment assessment period, and a 2-week safety follow-up period. To provide a robust dataset of changes with LXB treatment which will inform healthcare providers and their patients, DUET is administering a wide range of patient- and clinician-reported outcome assessments regarding symptom severity and daytime functioning and includes objective measures of sleep (ad libitum polysomnography protocol) and sleep inertia which have not been previously tested with this type of study design. Additionally, pharmacokinetics data and clinician titration feedback are collected to inform titration/dosing guidance for clinicians. DUET was designed in a patient-centric manner to reflect a real-world approach to conducting clinical trials. Using a patient-centric design aiming to address participants’ burden and improve their study experience, the DUET study will fill critical idiopathic hypersomnia and narcolepsy evidence gaps pertaining to sleep architecture (e.g., disrupted nighttime sleep) and response to LXB treatment, as well as provide data on outcomes that are meaningful to patients. Graphical abstract available for this article. Low-sodium oxybate (LXB; Xywav®) is a medicine that people living with idiopathic hypersomnia or narcolepsy take to feel less sleepy. People with narcolepsy also take LXB to treat cataplexy (sudden muscle weakness from strong emotions). However, these patients experience other symptoms beyond sleepiness and cataplexy. People with idiopathic hypersomnia often do not feel refreshed after sleeping. They also wake up feeling groggy, confused, and irritable (sleep inertia). People with narcolepsy often have trouble sleeping well at night. They wake up a lot or are unable to stay in deep sleep (disrupted nighttime sleep). Individuals with either disorder often have concentration and memory problems (cognitive dysfunction), have a low mood, and are unable to complete daily tasks. How does LXB impact these symptoms? Addressing this question requires a research study with many different tests. Completing all these tests could make people not want to participate, especially if they do not understand the importance of the tests. Studies need to be designed to determine what matters most to patients, while considering testing burden. Jazz’s DUET study was designed in this way. DUET asked real patients to suggest ways to make the study more participant-friendly. Suggestions included to allow more breaks between tests, educate on why this study is important, and provide participants with their own sleep data reports. These suggestions were used in the study design. DUET was able to look at the association of LXB with a wide range of meaningful, relevant symptoms, while prioritizing participants’ well-being and study experience.

Source: Neurology and Therapy

DOI: 10.1007/s40120-025-00745-7