Search

Pediatricians receive little training in diagnosing and treating sleep disorders, although sleep disorders are a common problem in their practices. A national survey of 156 pediatric residency programs found that an average of 4.8 hours of instruction was spent on sleep disorders. Eighty-eight pediatricians took a 100-point test to determine the state of their knowledge. The average score on sections relating to specific sleep disorders was 60. Finally, 183 pediatricians were surveyed about their beliefs and practices. They reported that 25% of their patients had a sleep problem. In many cases, drug treatments that are useless or even contraindicated are prescribed for some sleep problems. The common advice that certain problems will be outgrown is inaccurate., Objective. A series of studies were conducted to investigate pediatricians' training knowledge, and practices regarding sleep and sleep disorders in children and adolescents. Method and results. Study 1, a national survey of 156 pediatric residency programs, found that pediatricians receive a mean of 4.8 hours of instruction on sleep and sleep disorders, although the mode and median hours of instruction is 0 hours. In Study 2, 88 pediatricians completing a questionnaire concerning general knowledge about sleep disorders in children and adolescents received a mean score of 71.8% (range, 40% to 93%). Pediatricians appear to know the most about developmental issues and sleep hygiene and the least about specific disorders such as narcolepsy and parasomnias. In the third study, 183 pediatricians were surveyed about their actual beliefs and practices regarding young children's sleep problems. Together, those surveyed reported that approximately 25% of their patients experience some type of sleep problem. Most pediatricians recommend behavioral interventions, although 14.8% of pediatricians report prescribing pharmacological treatments, and 48.9% inform parents that their child is likely to outgrow the problem. Conclusions. The results of these studies support the need for more education in sleep and sleep disorders in children and adolescents within medical schools, pediatric residency programs, and the practicing pediatric community. Pediatrics 1994;94:194-200, sleep, sleep disorders, physician education.

Abstract Background Donepezil (23 mg/day) is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Approval was based on results from a 24-week, randomized, double-blind study of patients who were stable on donepezil 10 mg/day and randomized 2:1 to either increase their donepezil dose to 23 mg/day or continue taking 10 mg/day. The objective of this study was to assess the long-term safety and tolerability of donepezil 23 mg/day in patients with moderate to severe AD. Methods Patients who completed the double-blind study and were eligible could enroll into a 12-month extension study of open-label donepezil 23 mg/day. Clinic visits took place at open-label baseline and at months 3, 6, 9, and 12. Safety analyses comprised examination of the incidence, severity, and timing of treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs); changes in weight, electrocardiogram, vital signs, and laboratory parameters; and discontinuation due to AEs. Results 915 double-blind study completers were enrolled in the open-label extension study and 902 comprised the safety population. Mean treatment duration in this study was 10.3 ± 3.5 months. In total, 674 patients (74.7%) reported at least one AE; in 320 of these patients (47.5%) at least one AE was considered to be possibly or probably study drug related. The majority of patients reporting AEs (81.9%) had AEs of mild or moderate severity. There were 268 patients (29.7%) who discontinued early, of which 123 (13.6%) were due to AEs. Patients increasing donepezil dose from 10 mg/day in the double-blind study to 23 mg/day in the extension study had slightly higher rates of AEs and SAEs than patients who were already receiving 23 mg (78.0% and 16.9% vs 72.8% and 14.0%, respectively). The incidence of new AEs declined rapidly after the first 2 weeks and remained low throughout the duration of the study. Conclusion This study shows that long-term treatment with donepezil 23 mg/day is associated with no new safety signals. The elevated incidence of AEs in patients increasing the dose of donepezil from 10 mg/day to 23 mg/day was limited to the initial weeks of the study.

Abstract Background Donepezil 23 mg/d, recently approved in the United States for treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease (AD), was developed to address the need for an additional treatment option for patients with advanced AD. This report, based on a pivotal phase 3 study, presents a detailed analysis of the safety and tolerability of increasing donepezil to 23 mg/d compared with continuing 10 mg/d. Method Safety analyses comprised examination of the incidence, severity, and timing of treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) and their relationship to treatment initiation; changes in weight, electrocardiogram, vital signs, and laboratory parameters; and the incidence of premature study discontinuation. The analysis population (n = 1434) included all randomized patients who took at least 1 dose of study drug and had a postbaseline safety assessment. To further examine the effect of transition from a lower to a higher donepezil dose, a pooled analysis of safety data from 2 phase 3 trials of donepezil 5 mg/d and 10 mg/d was also performed. Results The safety population comprised 1434 patients: donepezil 23 mg/d (n = 963); donepezil 10 mg/d (n = 471); completion rates were 71.1% and 84.7%, respectively. The most common AEs were nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea (donepezil 23 mg/d: 11.8%, 9.2%, 8.3%; donepezil 10 mg/d: 3.4%, 2.5%, 5.3%, respectively). AEs that contributed most to early discontinuations were vomiting (2.9% of patients in the 23 mg/d group and 0.4% in the 10 mg/d group), nausea (1.9% and 0.4%), diarrhea (1.7% and 0.4%), and dizziness (1.1% and 0.0%). The percentages of patients with AEs in the 23 mg/d group, as well as the timing, type, and severity of these AEs, were similar to those seen in previous donepezil trials with titration from 5 to 10 mg/d. Serious AEs were uncommon (23 mg/d, 8.3%; 10 mg/d, 9.6%). Discussion The 23 mg/d dose of donepezil was associated with typical cholinergic AEs, particularly gastrointestinal-related AEs, similar to those observed in studies with a dose increase from 5 to 10 mg/d. Conclusion The good safety and predictable tolerability profile for donepezil 23 mg/d supports its favorable risk/benefit ratio in patients with moderate to severe AD. Trial Registration NCT00478205

Lemborexant, a dual orexin receptor antagonist, is approved for the treatment of insomnia and is under investigation for treating other sleep disorders. Here we summarize pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and safety data from 3 randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled phase 1 studies: single ascending doses in healthy adults (Study 001; 1‐200 mg; N = 64), multiple ascending doses in healthy and elderly adults (Study 002; 2.5‐75 mg; N = 55), and multiple doses in healthy white and Japanese adults (Study 003; 2.5‐25 mg; N = 32). Lemborexant exposure increased with increasing dose. The time to maximum concentration ranged from approximately 1 to 3 hours for the 5‐ and 10‐mg doses. The mean effective half‐life was 17 hours for lemborexant 5 mg and 19 hours for lemborexant 10 mg. The plasma concentration at 9 hours postdose was 27% of the maximum concentration following multiple dosing with lemborexant 10 mg. There were no clinically relevant effects on next‐morning residual sleepiness (Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, Digital Symbol Substitution Test, Psychomotor Vigilance Test) for doses through 10 mg/day, indicating no effect of residual plasma concentrations on next‐day residual effects. Lemborexant was well tolerated across the doses tested. There were no clinically relevant effects of age, sex, or race on lemborexant pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, or safety. These results suggest that lemborexant at doses through 25 mg provides an overall pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and safety profile suitable for obtaining the target pharmacologic effect supporting treatment of insomnia while minimizing residual effects during wake time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residual next-day effects of sleep-promoting drugs are common and an important safety issue. Lemborexant is a dual orexin receptor antagonist approved in the United States and Japan for treatment of insomnia in adults. We evaluated the potential of lemborexant for residual morning and next-day effects, including somnolence, based on lemborexant clinical study findings. This paper reports findings from 9 lemborexant clinical studies that incorporated next-day assessments of residual drug effects, based on published findings and data on file. Results are reported for healthy subjects or subjects with insomnia disorder treated with lemborexant 5 mg/day or 10 mg/day, placebo, or active comparator before bedtime. Outcomes assessed included next-morning postural stability (body sway measured by ataxiameter), cognitive performance (Cognitive Performance Assessment Battery), impact on driving (standard deviation of lateral position during highway driving test), subjective sleepiness (sleep diary entries), and adverse events of somnolence. Change from baseline in postural stability the morning after lemborexant administration did not differ from placebo. Among 4 Cognitive Performance Assessment Battery measures, only power of attention declined significantly more with lemborexant treatment compared with placebo in 1 of 2 studies, whereas zolpidem differed from placebo on multiple measures. On the highway-driving test, lemborexant did not significantly impair driving performance versus placebo, however, zopiclone did differ. In large phase 3 trials, next-morning sleep diary ratings showed significantly greater alertness with lemborexant compared with placebo after up to 6 months of treatment. As expected, somnolence was the most common adverse event reported with lemborexant treatment. Somnolence was typically mild to moderate in severity and rarely caused discontinuation of study drug. Across 9 clinical studies, lemborexant did not substantially impair next-day functioning among healthy subjects and subjects with insomnia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]