The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a weight loss drug to treat sleep apnea, making it the first drug to treat sleep apnea, which affects millions of Americans.
On Friday, federal regulators gave the green light for use of Eli Lilly's Zepbound drug, approving the prescription drug for adults suffering from moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and obesity.
“Today's approval provides the first drug treatment option for certain patients with obstructive sleep apnea,” said Sally, chief of the Division of Pulmonology, Allergy, and Critical Care in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.・Dr. Seymour stated in his paper. statement. “This is a huge step forward for patients with obstructive sleep apnea.”
OSA is a sleep-related breathing disorder in which a person temporarily stops breathing during sleep. OSA has many symptoms, including sleep disturbances, fatigue, snoring, and excessive sleeplessness during the day.
“Zepbound is the first drug to significantly improve moderate to severe OSA and aid long-term weight loss in obese adults,” said Patrick Jonsson, president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health and Lilly USA. said In a statement. “Nearly half of the patients in the clinical trial improved to the point that they were free of OSA-related symptoms, marking an important step forward in reducing the burden of this disease and its associated health challenges.”
OSA affects more than 25 million adults in the United States, According to Participated in the National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project.
According to the FDA, Zepbound works by activating hormone receptors to suppress a patient's food intake and appetite. Some studies have shown that approved drugs improve OSA along with weight loss.
Federal regulators said Zepbound's approval came after two randomized, placebo-controlled studies in 469 adults without type 2 diabetes.
