The American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly said on Friday that its famous weight-loss drug (Zibound) helped solve the problem of sleep apnea, whose severity ranges from moderate to severe, in up to 52% of patients in two late-stage trials.
Eli Lilly and its Danish competitor, Novo Nordisk, are racing to obtain the necessary approvals to use the obesity drugs they produce to treat other diseases.
Novo Nordisk obtained approvals to use its drug (Wejovi) to treat heart diseases in March, while Lilly is expected to complete its trials of using (Zipound) to treat heart diseases this year.
Lilly said in April that Zibound, whose scientific name is terzipatide, helped reduce episodes of irregular breathing in patients with sleep apnea by 55% in the first trial and 62.8% in the second trial.
Patients in the first trial received terzepatide, while patients in the second trial tested the drug in combination with positive airway pressure therapy.
The full results of the two trials, which were presented Friday at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Meeting in Orlando, Florida, showed that Zibound helped resolve sleep apnea in 43% of patients taking the drug alone and in 51.5% of those using it in combination with airway compression therapy. Positive.
Lilly said Friday’s data showed that Zibound helped reduce vital signs related to sleep apnea, including oxygen desaturation and blood pressure.
She added that she had submitted a request to the US Food and Drug Administration to obtain the necessary approvals to use (Zebound) to treat cases of sleep apnea, adding that she would submit a similar request to other regulatory bodies around the world in the coming weeks.