Orexin agonists among “exciting” emerging therapies for narcolepsy type 1 | AMCP Annual 2026

Narcolepsy type 1 and type 2 affect approximately 1 in 2,000 people in the United States.

There are many treatments for narcolepsy, including traditional stimulants, sodium oxybates and pitolisant, which treats excessive daytime sleepiness by boosting histamine levels in the brain, Luis Ortiz, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, located in Saint Petersburg, Florida, said in a recent Managed Healthcare Executive interview.

“Emerging treatment options include the orexin agonists, which is what everyone in the narcolepsy world is super excited about,” Ortiz said.

Orexin agonists are an investigational class of treatments that work by stimulating the orexin receptors, which are neuropeptides located in the hypothalamus that regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Approximately 90% of narcolepsy type 1 patients have too few of these receptors. 

Ortiz presented this week at the 2026 annual meeting of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) in Nashville, Tennessee. It is being held from April 13-16.

He spoke during a session called, ‘Advancing Patient-Centered Care in Narcolepsy Type 1: Integrating the Latest Evidence, Guidelines, and Treatment Innovations.’