Eisai and Purdue Pharma Announce Positive Topline Results From Key Clinical Studies of Lemborexant Including First-Ever Phase 3 Head-to-Head Superiority Comparison Versus Zolpidem ER in Patients With Sleep Disorder

March 9, 2018  Source: finance.yahoo. 539

Eisai logo. (PRNewsFoto/Eisai Inc.)Eisai Co., Ltd. (CEO: Haruo Naito, "Eisai") and Purdue Pharma L.P. (President and CEO: Craig Landau, "Purdue Pharma") today announced positive topline results from multiple studies of lemborexant, an investigational agent for sleep and wake regulation currently being studied for the treatment of multiple sleep disorders.

The Phase 3 pivotal study, SUNRISE 1, achieved its primary and key secondary objectives versus placebo and versus an active comparator (zolpidem tartrate extended release, "zolpidem ER") in patients 55 years and older with difficulty staying asleep through the night. With a robust polysomnography (PSG) data set, this was the first-ever Phase 3 study with pre-specified endpoints versus zolpidem ER, measuring the change from baseline in both sleep onset and sleep maintenance variables, including the time spent awake in the second half of the night, which is a common complaint, especially in the elderly. The study used objective PSG to determine if 5 mg and 10 mg lemborexant were superior to zolpidem ER 6.25 mg and to placebo. In this study, lemborexant had rates of discontinuation due to adverse events (AEs) comparable to placebo, with the most common AEs in the lemborexant arms being headache and somnolence. Eisai and Purdue plan to present full results of SUNRISE 1 at an upcoming medical meeting in 2018.

In addition, a Phase 1 safety study (Study 108) assessed the ability to maintain postural stability, awaken to an auditory stimulus, and perform on tests of memory and attention in the middle of the night; the postural stability and tests of memory and attention were repeated in the morning shortly after awakening. The study also measured how quickly participants could return to sleep after being awakened. The study met its primary endpoint demonstrating that postural stability was clinically meaningfully worse for zolpidem ER 6.25 mg as compared with both treatment arms of lemborexant (5 mg and 10 mg), in healthy volunteers 55 years and older. In this study, the only AE observed in two or more people in the lemborexant arms was headache.

"As a clinician and researcher treating patients with sleep disruption issues for 30 years, for me, successful treatment means that they can both sleep well and wake well, without impairment. It's important for me to explain not only the benefits of a medication meant to help my patients fall asleep and stay asleep, but also any potential risks such as their next morning impairment," said Russell Rosenberg, PhD, D.ABSM, a Principal Investigator in lemborexant studies and former Chairman of the Board of the National Sleep Foundation. "These studies are particularly relevant to older patients for whom the ability to awaken unimpaired remains an ongoing issue."

These studies build on a growing body of knowledge regarding lemborexant, including another recently completed Phase 1 study (Study 106) that evaluated residual next morning effects via an on-road driving test, which also achieved its primary objective. This study was conducted versus placebo, with zopiclone included as a positive control, to evaluate potential next morning impairment by measuring adult and elderly participants' driving performance. In this study, the most common AEs observed in the lemborexant arms were somnolence and headache. Eisai and Purdue also plan to present the results of the Phase 1 studies at the upcoming 32nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (SLEEP 2018) on June 5 in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States.
By Ddu
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