FDA Approves Eli Lilly’s Weight Loss Drug Zepbound for Sleep Apnea, Expanding Use in U.S.
Expanding Treatment Options
The Food and Drug Administration has approved Eli Lilly’s blockbuster weight loss drug Zepbound for treating patients with the most common sleep-related breathing disorder, expanding its use and possibly its insurance coverage in the U.S.
What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition where breathing is interrupted during sleep due to narrowed or blocked airways. It is a serious condition that can lead to loud snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness, and can contribute to serious complications including stroke and heart failure.
Zepbound: A New Treatment Option
Zepbound is a weekly injection that is now the first drug treatment option cleared for patients with obesity and moderate-to-severe OSA. It should be used in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. The FDA’s decision could pave the way for Eli Lilly to gain broader insurance coverage for Zepbound, which, like other weight loss drugs, is not covered by many insurance plans.
Mounting Evidence
The approval also backs up mounting evidence that there could be further health benefits tied to GLP-1s, a class of weight loss and diabetes treatments that have soared in popularity and slipped into shortages over the past year. Notably, Zepbound’s main rival, the weight loss drug Wegovy from Novo Nordisk, is not approved for OSA.
Conclusion
Zepbound could be a valuable new treatment option for patients with OSA, which has limited treatment options outside of wearing masks hooked up to cumbersome machines that provide positive airway pressure, or PAP, to allow for normal breathing. The FDA’s approval is a significant step forward in expanding treatment options for patients with OSA.
FAQs
- What is Zepbound used for?
- How does Zepbound work?
- Is Zepbound approved for OSA?
- What are the benefits of Zepbound?
- Is Zepbound covered by insurance?
Zepbound is used to treat patients with obesity and moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Zepbound is a weekly injection that should be used in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity to reduce the severity of OSA in patients with obesity.
Yes, Zepbound is the first drug treatment option cleared for patients with obesity and moderate-to-severe OSA.
Zepbound can help patients with OSA achieve “disease resolution,” which is defined as a patient having fewer than five apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) events per hour, and can also help reduce the severity of OSA.
Like other weight loss drugs, Zepbound is not covered by many insurance plans, including the federal Medicare program. However, the FDA’s approval could pave the way for broader insurance coverage.
