Ireland-based Jazz Pharmaceuticals and Sumitomo Pharma Co. in Japan, have entered into an exclusive licensing agreement under which Jazz has acquired development and commercialization rights in the United States, Europe and other territories for Sumitomo Pharma's investigational DSP-0187, a potent, highly selective oral orexin-2 receptor agonist with potential application for the treatment of narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia and other sleep disorders. Jazz has designated this molecule JZP441.

Sumitomo Pharma initiated a Phase 1 trial in Japan of DSP-0187 in November 2021 to evaluate safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers. Jazz expects to rapidly advance development of DSP-0187 based on these clinical findings.

Orexins are neuropeptides that play an important role in the regulation of sleep and wakefulness. DSP-0187 is a potent, highly selective orexin-2 receptor agonist designed to activate orexin signaling. DSP-0187 is initially planned to be evaluated in patients with narcolepsy, a debilitating sleep disorder which can manifest clinically with cataplexy, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), disrupted nighttime sleep (DNS), sleep paralysis and other symptoms. There is also potential for DSP-0187 to treat other sleep disorders.