Jazz Pharmaceuticals has announced that the first patient has been enrolled in a phase 3 clinical study evaluating JZP-258, an investigational oxybate product candidate with 90 percent less sodium content than Xyrem (sodium oxybate) oral solution, as a potential treatment for cataplexy and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in adult narcolepsy patients. The clinical study will be conducted across approximately 60 centers in the European Union and the United States.

"We believe that reducing sodium intake in narcolepsy patients is a clinically meaningful goal as patients with narcolepsy are at risk for high sodium intake-related consequences, including hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases," said Karen Smith, managing director, Ph.D., global head of research and development and chief medical officer of Jazz Pharmaceuticals. "The initiation of patient enrollment in this study reinforces our commitment to the narcolepsy community and is an important step in our efforts to provide patients with potentially improved therapeutic options to treat their narcolepsy."

The phase 3 study is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized-withdrawal, multicenter study evaluating the efficacy and safety of JZP-258 for the treatment of cataplexy and EDS in adult patients with narcolepsy (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03030599). The study is expected to enroll approximately 185 patients in order to randomize approximately 130 patients.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals is an international biopharmaceutical company focused on improving patients' lives by identifying, developing and commercializing meaningful products that address unmet medical needs.  The company has a diverse portfolio of products and product candidates, with a focus in the areas of sleep and hematology/oncology.  In these areas, Jazz Pharmaceuticals markets Xyrem (sodium oxybate) oral solution, Erwinaze (asparaginase Erwinia chrysanthemi) and Defitelio (defibrotide sodium) in the US and markets Erwinase and Defitelio (defibrotide) in countries outside the US.