Sunosi Significantly Reduced Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Symptoms in Real-World Study

The results of a real-world analysis presented at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) show that Sunosi (solriamfetol; Axsome Therapeutics, New York, NY) significantly reduced symptoms of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in individuals with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The study also found that individuals taking Sunosi had high adherence rates and experienced numerical decreases in OSA-related comorbidities such as hypertension and obesity. 

The study used US claims data from July 2019 through September 2022 to identify 665 individuals with OSA (mean age 50.7 years; 54.3% male) who had recently started Sunosi treatment. Individuals had continuous insurance enrollment 6 months pre- and post-initiation, an OSA diagnosis, and prior positive airway pressure therapy. Those diagnosed with central sleep apnea, narcolepsy, substance use disorder, or pregnancy were excluded from the study. Researchers analyzed changes in OSA-related symptoms and comorbidities pre- and post-treatment using McNemar’s tests and paired t-tests, and adherence was measured using the proportion of days covered (PDC) in the 6 months following Sunosi initiation.

Key findings included:

• 74% of patients used Sunosi exclusively; 54.9% received prior treatment with a stimulant or wake-promoting agent (WPA).
• Mean PDC was .9, with 79.2% achieving ≥.8 adherence.
• Significant (P<.05) reductions in OSA-related symptoms pre- and post-treatment with Sunosi were reported: fatigue/tiredness (16.5% vs. 11.6%), hypersomnia (57.3% vs. 48.3%), insomnia (18.8% vs. 15.8%), sleep disturbance (12.5% vs. 8.7%), gastroesophageal reflux (17.7% vs. 14%).
• Numerical decreases in OSA-related comorbidities following treatment with Sunosi were reported, including asthma, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, obesity, and psychiatric conditions.