United States – A new study reveals that a popular weight loss drug could be helpful in addressing sleep apnea.
Among the measures in patients who were obese and took tirzepatide, the medicine in the drug Zepbound and the obesity drug Mounjaro, less severe sleep apnea was observed, meaning that breathing was interrupted in a less severe manner, as reported by Associated Press.
Positive Impact on Sleep Apnea
The study, which was released on Friday in the New England Journal of Medicine, was researched out in two randomized trials involving adult patients with moderate to critical obstructive sleep apnea and obesity. The study revealed that tirzepatide has positive effects, such as reducing the apnea-hypopnea index, body weight, and blood pressure and improving sleep.
Significant Reduction in Sleep Apnea Incidents
The participants on the drug saw the frequency of their sleep apnea decrease by nearly sixty percent, and only ten percent of individuals who took the placebo saw the same.
Patients who used the drug also reduced their body weight by as much as 18 percent – 20 percent and other changes as found by the study.
Study Details and Sponsorship
The drug was manufactured by Eli Lilly and Co., and the company sponsored the study, the Associated Press indicated.
FDA has been requested to clear the drug to enable the company to use it to treat moderate to severe sleep apnea and this may be cleared before the current year ends. Outside experts said that if it can be the single treatment for sleep apnea, more research will be necessary, according to AP.
Information provided by the news wire also highlighted that sleep apnea affects approximately 20 million Americans and that while short-term effects are as simple as snoring, poor concentration, and fatigue during the day, some of the severe long-term effects include heart conditions, Alzheimer’s disease, and death.