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Alertec Available In Canada For Narcolepsy MISSISSAUGA, ON -- June 1, 1999 -- Draxis Health Inc. today launched Alertec(TM) (modafinil), the first new anti-narcoleptic medication in nearly 40 years, in Canada for the symptomatic treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness in patients with narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterised by uncontrolled episodes of falling asleep at unexpected times and conditions. It is estimated that narcolepsy affects 15,000 Canadians, making the daily activities of life and work difficult -- and sometimes dangerous -- due to numerous, short, unpredictable, sleep periods during the day. "Medical science has been unable until now to create a truly effective treatment for the sleepiness and sleep attacks of narcolepsy, a devastating disease severely impairing the health and quality of life for thousands of Canadians," said Dr. Roger Broughton, medical director, Ottawa Hospital Sleep Medicine Center, Ottawa, ON. "Recent clinical trials have found that Alertec is well tolerated and produces a marked improvement in the quality of life for Canadians afflicted with narcolepsy." Alertec was compared to placebo in a clinical study which showed the following favourable effects: -- Alertec increased the patient's ability to stay awake by about 50% -- Alertec reduced the self-assessed number of involuntary sleep episodes which interfere with daytime activities by about 25% -- Alertec did not interfere with the patients' abilities to nap voluntarily during the day nor with their quantity or quality of night-time sleep. -- Alertec produced no chronic increases in blood pressure in normotensive and controlled hypertensive patients. There are about 250 patients who are currently using Alertec through the Special Access Programme. Alertec is generally well tolerated. If side effects occur, they are usually mild to moderate and temporary. Each Alertec tablet contains 100 mg of the active ingredient called modafinil. Alertec is normally taken as one to two tablets in the morning and one to two tablets at noon. Alertec can only be obtained with a prescription. (An eight-hour-long daytime MSLT [Multiple Sleep Latency Test] in a sleep laboratory is required for the diagnosis of narcolepsy.) Alertec has no effect on cataplexy (sudden loss of muscular tone). The drug should not be taken to relieve daytime sleepiness due to other conditions such as lack of night sleep or sleep apnea. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version