Developed by Japan-based Takeda Pharmaceutical, the medicine amplifies “orexin-2,” a protein that regulates key body functions like appetite, arousal and alertness. Takeda will sell the medicine under the brand name Orzeyful. “This new drug is the first medicine that impacts the underlying biology of the disease, treating narcolepsy type 1 as a whole.” The company is also testing whether the drug can help patients with a related sleep disorder known as idiopathic hypersomnia. “You can imagine a situation where, when Takeda enters the marketplace with their drug, it can only be used in NT1.