By Patrick Wingrove
(Reuters) – Eli Lilly (NYSE:) on Friday stated its well-liked weight-loss drug Zepbound helped resolve reasonable to extreme obstructive sleep apnea in as much as 52% of sufferers in two late-stage trials.
U.S.-based Lilly and Danish rival Novo Nordisk (NYSE:) are in a race to get their weight problems medication authorized to deal with different illnesses. Novo’s Wegovy was authorized as a therapy for coronary heart illness in March, whereas Lilly’s personal heart-disease trial for Zepbound is anticipated to conclude this 12 months.
Lilly in April stated Zepbound, identified chemically as tirzepatide, helped cut back episodes of irregular inhaling sufferers with obstructive sleep apnea by 55% within the first research and by 62.8% within the second.
Sufferers within the first research obtained tirzepatide, whereas sufferers within the second examined the drug together with steady constructive airway stress (PAP) remedy, wherein air is pumped into the lungs to maintain the airway open throughout sleep.
Full outcomes from the trials, offered Friday on the American Diabetes Affiliation’s scientific assembly in Orlando, Florida, confirmed Zepbound helped resolve sleep apnea in 43% of sufferers taking the drug alone and in 51.5% of these additionally utilizing PAP.
The standards for illness decision was sufferers experiencing fewer than 5 episodes of shallow or no respiratory per hour throughout sleep, or 5 to 14 episodes and never being excessively sleepy through the day, in accordance with Lilly.
Lilly stated 14.9% of sufferers on a placebo additionally achieved illness decision within the first research, together with 13.6% within the second.
Friday’s information confirmed Zepbound helped decrease biomarkers associated to sleep apnea, together with oxygen desaturation, blood stress, and C-reactive proteins – indicators of irritation that may point out coronary heart illness – Lilly stated.
The drugmaker stated it had submitted its utility to the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration to have Zepbound authorized as a therapy for obstructive sleep apnea and would undergo different regulatory businesses globally within the coming weeks.
Lilly stated the general security of tirzepatide in these trials was much like previous research, with essentially the most frequent negative effects being diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and constipation.
The Indianapolis-based drugmaker offered information earlier this month exhibiting Zepbound helped deal with liver scarring in sufferers with a difficult-to-treat fatty liver illness referred to as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH.
(This story has been corrected to vary the share of sufferers on a placebo who achieved illness decision within the second research from 6.4% to 13.6% in paragraph 7)