Oct 15 2020
Harmony Biosciences Receives FDA Approval for Expanded Use of Wakix® (Pitolisant) for the Treatment of Cataplexy in Adult Patients with Narcolepsy
h in News
WAKIX is the first and only non-scheduled treatment approved for excessive daytime sleepiness or cataplexy in adult patients with narcolepsy
PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA and CHICAGO, IL, October 13, 2020 — Harmony Biosciences Holdings, Inc. (“Harmony”) (Nasdaq: HRMY), a pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing innovative therapies for patients living with rare neurological disorders who have unmet medical needs, today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved WAKIX® (pitolisant) for the treatment of cataplexy in adult patients with narcolepsy. WAKIX is the first and only treatment approved by the FDA for people with excessive daytime sleepiness or cataplexy associated with narcolepsy that is not scheduled as a controlled substance by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. WAKIX received FDA approval for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness in adult patients with narcolepsy in August 2019.
“All people living with narcolepsy have excessive daytime sleepiness and up to two-thirds of them also experience cataplexy, which is one of the most debilitating symptoms of this chronic, rare neurological disorder,” said Harmony’s Chief Medical Officer, Jeffrey Dayno, M.D. “Today’s FDA approval of the cataplexy indication for WAKIX, coupled with it being the first and only non-scheduled treatment option approved for adult patients with narcolepsy to treat both excessive daytime sleepiness or cataplexy, provides an opportunity for WAKIX to offer broad clinical utility to healthcare professionals managing adult patients living with narcolepsy.”
“This approval underscores our ongoing commitment to support people who are living with narcolepsy,” said John C. Jacobs, Harmony’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “At Harmony, we always keep patients at the heart of all we do and with this approval, we are inspired to continue our mission to develop novel treatment options for those living with rare, neurological disorders who have unmet medical needs.”