A Promising New Drug Offers Hope for Sleep Apnea Sufferers

At the office of North Jersey Pulmonary Associates, we treat many patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea and offer the leading options to support a safer, healthier, and more restorative night's sleep. 

When it comes to obstructive sleep apnea, the numbers are surprising. According to statistics, close to 80 million adults nationwide have OSA, including over 20 million suffering from moderate-to-severe cases. Even more concerning, a shocking 85% of cases remain undiagnosed and untreated—mainly attributable to a lack of awareness of the condition.

Beyond sleep time distress and daytime symptoms like morning headache, excessive fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and irritability, there's evidence linking sleep apnea to other medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular and heart issues, gastric reflux, and depression. 

While the condition can be attributed to several factors, obesity ranks high on the list. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is most common in people who are obese or overweight. As a matter of fact, 60% to 90% of adults diagnosed with OSA are overweight. 

However, there's good news to report. A new medication, Tirzepatide, the active ingredient in two Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications, Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and Zepbound for chronic weight management, is demonstrating promise for improving sleep apnea symptoms in obese patients affected by moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea.

Although medications for the excessive sleepiness associated with OSA are available, Tirzepatide would be the first pharmaceutical treatment capable of addressing the underlying condition! 

According to the results of two phase 3 clinical trials on two groups of patients, one group on CPAP therapy and a second group not on CPAP, Tirzepatide dramatically reduced the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and resulted in far fewer restricted breathing events per hour. And besides people in both groups of subjects experiencing a 63% decrease in incidents of reduced oxygen per hour due to sleep-disordered breathing, Tirazepatide continued to address obesity issues, with an average of 20% body weight loss. 

With FDA approval on the horizon, Tirzepatide potentially offers a more tolerable treatment for OSA and one that supports weight loss and severing the connection between obesity and OSA.