A diabetes drug doubles-up as a sleep apnea treatment, a San Diego-based team of scientists say in research that could bring much-needed relief to millions of people whose lives are marred by a struggle to get a good night’s rest.
The findings could prove a "significant milestone in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, offering a promising new therapeutic option that addresses both respiratory and metabolic complications," according to Atul Malhotra, professor of medicine at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and director of sleep medicine at UC San Diego Health.
Malhotra and colleagues, who published their research in the New England Journal of Medicine, said they carried out "a worldwide, advanced study demonstrating the potential of tirzepatide, known to manage type 2 diabetes, as the first effective drug therapy for obstructive sleep apnea."
In a trial involving over 400 people, the scientists and doctors found that taking tirzepatide resulted in a "significant decrease in the number of breathing interruptions during sleep," an improvement that proved "much greater" in participants who took the drug compared to others who were given a placebo.
The widespread disorder is estimated to affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide and is characterised by airway blockages that cause sleep disruption, with the sufferer waking briefly, sometimes hundreds of times a night, and often with no recollection of doing so when he or she gets out of bed in the morning.
Sleep apnea and lack of sleep have been linked to an array of health problems, including heart disease and hypertension, compounding the day-to-day ill-effects of fatigue and impact on lifestyle, job performance and cognitive function.