FDA approves weight-loss drug Zepbound for obstructive sleep apnea

The US Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the first prescription medicine for obstructive sleep apnea: the weight-loss drug Zepbound.

The US Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the first prescription medicine for obstructive sleep apnea: the weight-loss drug Zepbound. The medicine, part of the class known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that also includes Ozempic, was cleared to treat moderate to severe forms of the sleep condition in people with obesity. It should be used with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, drugmaker Eli Lilly said in a news release. “This is a major step forward for patients with obstructive sleep apnea,” Dr. Sally Seymour, director of the FDA’s Division of Pulmonology, Allergy, and Critical Care, said in the FDA announcement. Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, affects as many as 30 million people in the USand is closely associated with obesity, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, which notes that weight loss can reduce its severity. It’s characterized by breathing disruptions during sleep caused by blocked airflow and increases the risk of heart and brain problems. “Many cases of OSA go undiagnosed and untreated, leaving millions at risk for serious health consequences,” Patrik Jonsson, president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health, said in the company’s release. Symptoms include snoring or gasping during sleep and excessive sleepiness in the daytime. Jonsson noted that Lilly’s clinical trials showed that almost half of participants “saw such improvements that they no longer had symptoms associated with OSA.”