An injection of Eli Lilly’s weight-loss drug tirzepatide significantly reduced instances of sleep apnea compared to a placebo, according to results from a Phase 3 trial released Wednesday morning.
Lilly’s tirzepatide is marketed under the brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity, respectively.
The topline results of the SURMOUNT-OSA clinical trials found that after 52 weeks, a 10 mg or 15 mg injection of the GLP-1 treatment led to a mean apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) reduction from baseline of 27.4 events per hour compared to a mean reduction of 4.8 events per hour for the placebo group.
This study focused on treating adults with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and obesity who were not using positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy.
As part of SURMOUNT-OSA Study 2, Lilly investigated tirzepatide on patients with moderate-to-severe OSA and obesity who were on or planned to use PAP therapy. This treatment led to a mean AHI reduction from baseline of 30.4 events per hour compared to a mean reduction of 6 events per hour for those on the placebo.
The results point to the continued clinical promise of GLP-1 drugs for treating other medical conditions and disease states beyond type 2 diabetes and obesity. The study comes months after Lilly’s rival Novo Nordisk released data finding that its anti-obesity drugs reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events.
This class of drugs is also being studied for their ability to treat addiction, Alzheimer’s disease and fatty liver diseases, among others.
As for sleep apnea, tirzepatide appears to be able to treat a common sleep-related breathing disorder recognized by loudly snoring and feeling tired after a full night’s sleep.
The condition is most common in men before the age of 50 and affects women after the age of 50 at a similar rate. Contributing factors can be age, excess weight or obesity, having a heart condition, and it is more common in Black, Hispanic or Asian patients.
More than a quarter of Americans between the ages 30 and 70 have sleep apnea and while it’s a common health condition, if not properly treated, it can lead to detrimental effects down the line. Almost 40,000 people with the condition die from heart disease annually, which makes seeking a remedy an important task for patients.
“OSA impacts 80 million adults in the U.S., with more than 20 million living with moderate-to-severe OSA. However, 85% of OSA cases go undiagnosed and therefore untreated,” said Jeff Emmick, MD, PhD, SVP of product development at Lilly, in a statement. “Addressing this unmet need head-on is critical, and while there are pharmaceutical treatments for the excessive sleepiness associated with OSA, tirzepatide has the potential to be the first pharmaceutical treatment for the underlying disease.”
Looking ahead, Lilly will present its results at the American Diabetes Association’s Scientific Sessions on June 21 and submit them to a peer-reviewed journal.
Lilly, which already received a Fast Track designation for moderate-to-severe OSA and obesity from the Food and Drug Administration, also announced plans to submit to the agency and other global regulatory agencies in the middle of this year.
Additionally, the pharma giant is slated to release its latest earnings on April 30 before the market opens. In light of the news, the drugmaker’s stock price was trading up slightly during the Wednesday morning session.
