Narcolepsy drug targets the brain’s root cause, signaling a new era of therapies

FDA approves Orzeyful (oveporexton), the first drug designed to treat narcolepsy’s root cause by activating orexin receptors, improving daytime wakefulness and nighttime sleep and reducing symptoms like cataplexy; developed from Takeda’s orexin-mimicking compound and showing positive results in two phase III trials with 273 participants, it’s seen as the first in a wave of orexin-agonist therapies that could transform sleep disorders and possibly other neuropsychiatric conditions, with the narcolepsy market projected to reach about $6.4 billion by the early 2030s.