the study investigating the use of tirzepatide for osa was conducted in two phase iii, double-blind, randomized controlled trials with 469 participants over the course of 52 weeks. some participants were told to keep using continuous positive airway pressure (cpap) machines; others were not.
to measure the drug’s efficacy against osa, the researchers examined various markers of osa, including:
- weight
- ahi
- hypoxic burden (measurement to determine levels of desaturation in respiratory events)
- hscrp concentration (measure of inflammation in the body)
- systolic blood pressure
- patient-reported sleep satisfaction
the results showed a clinically significant improvement in breathing interruptions throughout the night, reducing the severity of osa. in some participants, the reduction in breathing disruptions led to them no longer needing a cpap machine.
since tirzepatide can also reduce body weight, it helped on both levels: reducing weight in those living with obesity or overweight and reducing breathing disruptions with osa.
in both phase iii trials, participants saw a reduction in their disease to the point of resolution. the first study saw 43 per cent of people experience the complete resolution of disease, and 52.5 per cent experienced the same results in the second study. as it pertains to this study, disease resolution means the number of people who experience fewer than five sleep disruption events per hour.
“
tirzepatide demonstrated that patients with moderate-to-severe osa with obesity
were able to achieve osa disease resolution based on predetermined ahi and ess measures. the surmount-osa data is promising and provides a potential new treatment option for some patients with osa,” said dr. sandy henderson, vice president, medical director of lilly canada, in a press release.