Axsome Therapeutics Announces Results of CRESCENDO Narcolepsy Patient Survey Demonstrating Unmet Needs in Treated Narcolepsy Type 1 Patients

77% of narcolepsy type 1 patients continue to experience cataplexy attacks despite being treated

64% of narcolepsy type 1 patients continue to experience excessive daytime sleepiness, as assessed by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), despite being treated

74% of treated narcolepsy type 1 patients exhibit cognitive impairment, as assessed by the British Columbia Cognitive Complaints Inventory (BC-CCI)

Depression and anxiety were experienced by 45% and 57% of narcolepsy type 1 patients, respectively

NEW YORK, March 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AXSM), a biopharmaceutical company developing and delivering novel therapies for the management of central nervous system (CNS) disorders, today announced topline results from the CRESCENDO (Characterizing Patient Perspectives on Unmet Needs in Narcolepsy) survey of patients with narcolepsy type 1 (NT1, i.e., narcolepsy with cataplexy) receiving treatment, demonstrating high rates of persistent symptoms and significant patient burden, despite being on current treatments. CRESCENDO was conducted in partnership with Narcolepsy Network, a national non-profit patient support organization for people with narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia, and related sleep disorders.

The CRESCENDO survey included 203 adult patients diagnosed with NT1, who collectively have more than 2600 years of lived experience with the sleep disorder, to understand their experience and journey, to measure disease symptoms including cognitive impairment while on treatment, and to assess burden of illness, comorbidities, and unmet needs and challenges patients face. To quantify key elements of the narcolepsy patient experience, CRESCENDO utilized patient reported measures, and validated scales including the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) to assess excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), and the British Columbia Cognitive Complaints Inventory (BC-CCI) to assess cognitive function.

All patients taking part in the survey were currently undergoing treatment for NT1. The most common treatments were wake promoting agents (about 53% of surveyed patients), oxybates (47%), and stimulants (42%).

“Narcolepsy is a debilitating and incurable orphan neurologic disorder. Its most troublesome symptom is daytime sleepiness, which can impair social and occupational functioning and can cause potentially dangerous sleep attacks. Its other symptoms include cataplexy, episodes in which strong emotion causes a sudden loss of muscle control, sleep paralysis, sleep-related hallucinations, and disrupted nighttime sleep,” said Dr. Karl Doghramji, Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology and Medicine, and Medical Director of the Jefferson Sleep Disorders Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. “Unfortunately, narcolepsy is underrecognized and underdiagnosed by the medical community and its burden of illness is not widely understood or appreciated, which is why the CRESCENDO survey is such an important step forward in raising awareness of narcolepsy and its impact on patient lives, and in giving voice to the thousands of individuals living with this debilitating disorder.”