Eli Lilly’s Weight Loss Drug Can Help With Sleep Apnea

Eli Lilly has revealed that its weight-loss drug helped reduce episodes of irregular breathing associated with sleep apnea. This paves the way for expanded use of the drug outside of weight management.

A company press release reveals that tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Zepbound, reduced sleep apnea severity by up to nearly two-thirds in adults with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and obesity. Tirzepatide is the “only approved GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) treatment for chronic weight management.” It is also known as Zepbound and Mounjaro.

The first study evaluated tirzepatide in adults with moderate-to-severe OSA and obesity. Study participants were not on positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy for the study’s 52 weeks. During that time, tirzepatide reduced sleep apnea from a “27.4 events per hour” baseline to a “4.8 events per hour for placebo.”

Weight Loss Drug Zepbound May Reduce Sleep Apnea, Eli Lilly Sayshttps://t.co/dfpFjZwkGY pic.twitter.com/iYMEvidqSz

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“In key secondary outcomes, tirzepatide led to a mean AHI reduction from baseline of 55.0% compared to 5.0% from baseline for placebo; tirzepatide also led to a mean body weight reduction of 18.1% from baseline, compared to 1.3% from baseline for placebo,” the press release states.

Subsequently, weight loss was around 20% for patients comprised of approximately 70% males.

Sleep apnea is a sleep-related breathing disorder characterized by complete or partial collapses of the upper airway during sleep, according to the press release. Sleep apnea can lead to hypertension, stroke, coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and type 2 diabetes.

“OSA impacts 80 million adults in the U.S., with more than 20 million living with moderate-to-severe OSA. However, 85% of OSA cases go undiagnosed and therefore untreated,” said Jeff Emmick, MD, Ph.D., senior vice president of product development at Eli Lilly, in the press release.

Emmick believes that addressing this unmet need head-on is critical for overall patient health. He understands that although there are treatments for the excessive sleepiness associated with sleep apnea, tirzepatide is the first to treat the underlying disease.