(Washington) American health authorities announced Friday that they have authorized an anti-obesity treatment from the Eli Lilly laboratory to treat moderate to severe sleep apnea in people suffering from obesity, which could constitute a revolution for many Americans. concerned.
Published yesterday at 7:21 p.m.
“This is a major breakthrough for patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea,” said Sally Seymour, an official at the United States Medicines Agency (FDA) in a press release.
The treatment, marketed under the name Zepbound, is already authorized for patients suffering from obesity and for those who are overweight and suffer at the same time from a related health problem (type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, or hypertension).
“This is the first drug treatment offered to patients suffering from sleep apnea,” continued M.me Seymour.
Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS), commonly known as sleep apnea, affects approximately 30 million adults in the United States, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
This syndrome is characterized by the occurrence of abnormally frequent episodes of interruptions or reductions in breathing during sleep.
According to several studies, it increases the risk of cardiovascular events, high blood pressure and even depression.
Until now, only masks, specific devices or surgery were offered to patients.
In two clinical trials, the Zepbound treatment was shown to reduce the frequency of sleep apnea episodes, the FDA said. This improvement is probably linked to the weight loss recorded by the patients, specifies the agency.
This “constitutes a breakthrough in reducing the burden of this disease and the health problems that result from it,” said Patrik Jonsson, a manager at Eli Lilly Laboratories in a statement.
The authorization of Zepbound is now extended to obese people suffering from moderate to severe sleep apnea.
The treatment, which is administered by injection once a week, must be combined with exercise and a low-calorie diet, says the FDA.
This medication belongs to a new generation of treatments that have revolutionized the management of obesity, a public health scourge, in recent years.
These treatments rely on mimicking a gastrointestinal hormone (GLP-1) which activates receptors in the brain that play a role in regulating appetite.
Eli Lilly's molecule, tirzepatide, is also marketed under the name Mounjaro for people suffering from type 2 diabetes, since FDA authorization in 2022.
