FDA approves weight loss drug Zepbound for sleep apnea
Zepbound, Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug, can now be used to treat obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity, the FDA said.
The Food and Drug Administration expanded the approval of weight loss drug Zepbound to treat obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity, the drugmaker Eli Lilly said Friday. The decision makes it the first drug treatment for the disorder, which affects about 39 million adults in the United States.
Zepbound, which shares the same active ingredient as Lilly’s diabetes drug Mounjaro, is already approved by the FDA to treat adults who are overweight or have obesity.
The expanded approval could persuade more insurance companies — which have been reluctant to cover the expensive weight loss drugs — to pay for the medication.
“Too often, OSA [obstructive sleep apnea] is brushed off as ‘just snoring’ — but it’s far more than that,” Julie Flygare, president and CEO of Project Sleep, a nonprofit group that raises awareness of sleep health, said in a statement.
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the upper airway becomes blocked during sleep, cutting off airflow throughout the night. Often a person is jolted awake gasping for oxygen, contributing to fragmented, poor sleep. Obesity, which can narrow the airway, is one of the leading contributors to sleep apnea. Left untreated, it can lead to diabetes, heart arrhythmias, heart failure, stroke and brain damage.
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