Weight-Loss Drug Zepbound Resolves Sleep Apnea in Up to 52% of Patients, Lilly Says
Eli Lilly has announced that its popular weight-loss drug Zepbound helped resolve moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in up to 52% of patients during two late-stage trials. The company, based in the U.S., is in a race with Danish rival Novo Nordisk to get their obesity drugs approved to treat other ailments as well. Notably, Novo's Wegovy was approved as a treatment for heart disease in March, and Lilly's own heart-disease trial for Zepbound is expected to conclude this year.
Notable Improvements in Sleep Apnea
In April, Lilly revealed that Zepbound, known chemically as tirzepatide, significantly reduced episodes of irregular breathing in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. The first study showed a reduction of 55%, while the second trial showed a reduction of 62.8%. The first study involved patients receiving tirzepatide alone, whereas the second study tested the drug in combination with continuous positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy, which pumps air into the lungs to keep the airway open during sleep.
Trial Results Presented at American Diabetes Association Meeting
Full results from the trials were presented at the American Diabetes Association's scientific meeting in Orlando, Florida. The findings showed that Zepbound helped resolve sleep apnea in 43% of patients taking the drug alone, and in 51.5% of those also using PAP. The criteria for disease resolution included patients experiencing fewer than five episodes of shallow or no breathing per hour during sleep, or five to 14 episodes without being excessively sleepy during the day, as noted by Lilly. Results also showed that 14.9% of patients on a placebo achieved disease resolution in the first study, alongside 13.6% in the second.
Reduction in Sleep Apnea Biomarkers
Friday's data demonstrated that Zepbound helped lower biomarkers related to sleep apnea, including oxygen desaturation, blood pressure, and C-reactive proteins—which are signs of inflammation that can indicate heart disease. Lilly mentioned that they had submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to have Zepbound approved for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. Submissions to other regulatory agencies globally are also planned in the coming weeks.
Known Side Effects
Lilly pointed out that the overall safety of tirzepatide in these trials was consistent with past studies. The most frequent side effects included diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and constipation.
In addition to its positive impact on sleep apnea, earlier this month, the Indianapolis-based drugmaker presented data showing that Zepbound also helped treat liver scarring in patients with a challenging fatty liver disease known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).
Stay tuned for more updates on the development and approval processes for Zepbound and other promising treatments by Eli Lilly and rival companies.
