The webcast that Cephalon hosted last week has concluded. I would like to post a brief summary of what was covered and share a few thoughts.

First of all, who attended? We had a mix of bloggers, traditional non-profit advocates, news organizations and communication professionals. While the topic of sleep is something everyone could relate to, the impression I got was that not enough people understand the implications on their well being!

So here is a quick recap of the teleseminar (archived here):

Dr. Jeffrey Dayno, Cephalon's VP of Medical Services started by providing a basic definition of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), as obstruction of the airflow and explaining the symptoms, such as gasping for air, snoring, headaches and fatigue.

Did you know that the condition affects 18 millions of people in America? Apparently it is significantly underdiagnosed and undertreated. What are the dangers of OSA? The list of comorbidities is quite long, to name just a few:

• Hypertension
• Coronary artery disease
• Myocardial infarction
• Congestive heart failure
• Stroke
• Cognitive impairment
• Depression
• Diabetes

General approach to OSA treatment is all about restoring the air flow, including:

• Weight loss
• Positional therapy
• CPAP: Continous Positive Airway Pressure
• Surgery of the airway

CPAP basically stands for applying a "breathing mask" to increase air pressure. While reducing airway obstruction, this still does not get all the symptoms go away, especially excessive sleepiness and the impact on brain function. In terms of impact on daily life this means:

• Fatigue
• Lack of energy
• Tiredness
• Difficulty concentration
• Low motivation
• Loss of sense of well-being

Addressing excessive sleepiness (ES) is where Provigil comes in

A presciption medication, made by Cephalon, the drug "promotes wakefulness". In layman's terms it reduces sleepiness and increases overall energy, the sort of thing Red Bull is being used for on a more casual basis.

Of course, Provigil does not treat the underlying OSA problem of airway obstruction, but the studies have shown the overall improvement in alertness and daytime well-being. As every medication, Provigil has plenty of risks, listed in the presentation, and it is up to your doctor to decide if this drug is right for you.

What kind of questions got asked by attendees?

1. How does Provigil work?
   Exact mechanism of action is unknown. Hypothesized that it works on some wake-promoting centers of the brain, balancing wakefulness & sleep drive.
2. How is "being tired" different from excessive sleepiness?
   Excessive sleepiness is about ability to function on sustained basis. It becomes most important in the context of a recognized sleep disorder.
3. What are the tests for OSA and ES?
   Get referral from physician to a "sleep lab". Sleep lab simulates sleep, monitors sleep activity and puts together a report as a basis for diagnosis.
4. How long should one try CPAP before going on Provigil?
   Start with 4-8 weeks to give a fair trial. OSA is a chronic condition. Physician should keep re-assessing the patient. If CPAP does not help Provigil might be needed on the ongoing basis.
5. Will Cephalon hold webcasts for other products?
   Cephalon will evaluate the feedback from this session to decide how to best use this format for further communications.

Overall I am glad the webcast helped answer the questions about sleep for attendees and perhaps help set a new model for health communications. Kudos go to Cephalon for stepping up with this project.

What do you think? Comment and blog away...