Addressing Unmet Diagnostic and Treatment Needs in Narcolepsy: A Wake-Up Call for Primary Care Clinicians

October 20, 2026

Narcolepsy is far more than excessive daytime sleepiness. Diagnostic delays and persistent unmet needs leave many patients struggling for years before receiving appropriate care. In this highly interactive symposium, sleep medicine experts will combine evidence-based case discussions with an animated mechanism-of-action segment and authentic patient video stories to bring the science and lived experience of narcolepsy to life. A featured highlight is Dr. Ortiz, a sleep specialist who lives with narcolepsy himself, offering a rare and powerful perspective as both clinician and patient on the challenges of diagnosis, treatment, and living with the disease. Together, these experiences will equip frontline clinicians to recognize narcolepsy earlier and apply emerging treatment strategies with greater confidence.

Target Audience

This educational initiative is intended for primary care, family medicine, internal medicine, and other general practice providers.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, the learner should be able to:

  • Characterize the burden that NT1, its symptoms, and delayed diagnosis has on clinical outcomes, patient safety, and QoL 
  • Review the role of orexin signaling in the pathophysiology of NT1 and as a target for disease-specific therapy
  • Explain current evidence on ORX2-targeting therapies for NT1 and how they compare to symptom-specific conventional therapies
  • Identify features/symptoms consistent with NT1 using clinical history, patient interviews, exam findings, and screening tools appropriate for primary care/internal medicine 
  • Describe when and how to initiate diagnostic testing and specialty referral for patients with suspected NT1

Commercial Support
This activity is supported by an educational grant from Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.

Course summary

Course opens: 
10/09/2026
Course expires: 
11/20/2026
Event starts: 
10/20/2026 - 9:30am EDT
Event ends: 
10/20/2026 - 10:30am EDT
Cost:
$0.00
Rating: 
0
201 Rep. John Lewis Way South
Nashville, TN
United States

All of the relevant financial relationships listed for these individuals have been mitigated.

Disclosures
None of the planners or faculty for this educational activity have relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

It is the policy of AKH Inc. to ensure independence, balance, objectivity, scientific rigor, and integrity in all of its continuing education activities. The author must disclose to the participants any significant relationships with ineligible companies whose products or devices may be mentioned in the activity or with the commercial supporter of this continuing education activity. Identified conflicts of interest are mitigated by AKH prior to accreditation of the activity. AKH planners and reviewers have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use and Investigational Product 
This educational activity may include discussion of uses of agents that are investigational and/or unapproved by the FDA. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

Disclaimer 
This course is designed solely to provide the healthcare professional with information to assist in his/her practice and professional development and is not to be considered a diagnostic tool to replace professional advice or treatment. The course serves as a general guide to the healthcare professional, and therefore, cannot be considered as giving legal, nursing, medical, or other professional advice in specific cases. AKH Inc. specifically disclaim responsibility for any adverse consequences resulting directly or indirectly from information in the course, for undetected error, or through participants misunderstanding of the content. If you would like to opt out from future communications from AKH please send an email to [email protected] with your information with "Opt Out" in the subject line.

Committee Member, Planner, Staff(s)

Dorothy Caputo, MA BSN RN

has no relevant financial relationships to disclose at this time.

Bernadette Makar, MSN, APRN-BC, NP-C

has no relevant financial relationships to disclose at this time.
Reviewer(s)

Dorothy Caputo, MA BSN RN

has no relevant financial relationships to disclose at this time.

Rebecca Lakofsky, BSN, RN

has no relevant financial relationships to disclose at this time.

Bernadette Makar, MSN, APRN-BC, NP-C

has no relevant financial relationships to disclose at this time.
Speaker, Instructor, Faculty(s)

Paul Doghramji, MD, FAAFP

has no relevant financial relationships to disclose at this time.

Luis Ortiz, MD

has a financial relationship (Advisor) with Harmony Biosciences, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Alkermes, Jazz;.
has a financial relationship (Ownership interest) with Ascendis Pharma; AstraZeneca; Pfizer; Moderna; Viatris; Stereotaxis; Eli Lilly;.

Price

Cost:
$0.00
Please login or register to take this course.

If you have any questions, contact [email protected]