This content material initially appeared on On a regular basis Well being. Republished with permission.
By Lisa Rapaport
Key Takeaways
- Tirzepatide, the lively ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound, decreased sleep apnea signs for individuals with weight problems.
- The drug improved sleep apnea signs whether or not or not individuals used a PAP machine.
- Drugmaker Eli Lilly plans to hunt FDA approval for tirzepatide as a remedy for obstructive sleep apnea.
Tirzepatide, the primary ingredient within the injected weight reduction and diabetes medication Zepbound and Mounjaro, may assist scale back obstructive sleep apnea signs, preliminary outcomes from two late-stage research counsel.
Each of the research examined tirzepatide in individuals with weight problems and obstructive sleep apnea, a situation that causes transient episodes of absolutely or partially halted respiration all through the evening that’s typically exacerbated by extra weight. Contributors had been randomly assigned to take both tirzepatide or a placebo for one yr.
In a single examine of individuals with sleep apnea who didn’t use respiration units at evening, the variety of apnea episodes dropped by 55 p.c after one yr with tirzepatide, in contrast with 5 p.c on placebo, in keeping with preliminary examine outcomes reported by drugmaker Eli Lilly that haven’t been printed or independently verified.[1]
Outcomes had been related for sufferers who wore what’s generally known as a optimistic airway strain (PAP) machine at evening with a masks that blows air into the higher airways to assist help regular respiration. For individuals with apnea who used a PAP machine, apnea episodes declined by 63 p.c after a yr in contrast with about 6 p.c with the placebo.
Tirzepatide Causes Weight Loss, Which Improves Sleep Apnea
“It’s not shocking that tirzepatide would assist — tirzepatide causes weight reduction and weight reduction improves sleep apnea,” says Susan Spratt, MD, a professor of endocrinology at Duke College Faculty of Medication in Durham, North Carolina, who wasn’t concerned in both of the research.
“I feel what’s shocking is the quantity that tirzepatide decreased the signs of sleep apnea,” Dr. Spratt says.
Individuals with apnea who weren’t on PAP remedy misplaced a mean of 18 p.c of their physique weight after one yr on tirzepatide, in keeping with the outcomes reported by Eli Lilly. Individuals on PAP remedies who took tirzepatide misplaced 20 p.c of their physique weight on common.
What’s outstanding about these preliminary outcomes is that the quantity of weight reduction achieved after one yr with tirzepatide is far larger than what is often achieved with way of life modifications like consuming much less or exercising extra or with weight reduction surgical procedure, says Eric Landsness, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of neurology and sleep medication at Washington College Faculty of Medication in St. Louis.
Weight Performs a Function in Sleep Apnea
“I’m not stunned by the magnitude of obstructive sleep apnea change,” says Dr. Landsess, who wasn’t concerned in both of the research. “I feel that is actually a testomony to how a lot weight performs a task within the severity of obstructive sleep apnea.”
Unwanted side effects of tirzepatide had been gentle to reasonable in severity and most frequently included gastrointestinal points like diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and constipation, in keeping with Eli Lilly.
Eli Lilly to Search FDA Approval for Tirezepatide as Therapy for Sleep Apnea
Tirzepatide is the primary drug in a brand new household of medicines that focus on two hormones — glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) — which can be concerned in sustaining wholesome blood sugar ranges and sending indicators from the intestine to the mind when individuals are full.
The U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted one drug made with tirzepatide, Mounjaro, to deal with kind 2 diabetes, and one other one, Zepbound, for weight reduction. However many sufferers with out kind 2 diabetes have struggled to get insurance coverage protection for these medicines, Spratt says.
Based mostly on outcomes from the 2 research, the corporate mentioned it plans to hunt FDA approval this yr to promote tirzepatide as a remedy for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea.
“If tirzepatide is accepted by the FDA, it is going to positively be a recreation changer,” Spratt says.
