Weekly weight-loss drug reduces sleep apnea in trials

Retatrutide is a once-weekly injection that targets three hormone receptors. It was tested in two late-stage studies: TRIUMPH-1-OSA, for people without type 2 diabetes, and TRIUMPH-2-OSA, for those with diabetes. The trials enrolled overweight or obese adults with moderate-to-severe sleep apnea. Participants received weekly injections of 4 mg, 9 mg or 12 mg, or a placebo, over 80 weeks. The results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

All three doses reduced breathing pauses more than placebo, including in people with diabetes. At the two higher doses, 39% to 52% of patients saw their apnea improve to no disease or mild disease without excessive daytime sleepiness, compared with about 13% on placebo. The higher doses also cut breathing disruptions by an average of 25 pauses per hour, roughly 40%, while the placebo group saw 10 fewer pauses.

Significant breathing improvements

On the 4 mg dose, pauses fell by about 23 per hour, and participants lost an average of 12.5% of their body weight. Among people without diabetes, 52% to 66% of those on the 9 mg or 12 mg doses had their breathing interruptions cut by at least half. Up to 52% of those without diabetes and 40% of those with it reached normal breathing or mild apnea, a level at which they might no longer need a CPAP machine.

Participants with diabetes in TRIUMPH-2-OSA lost an average of 18% to 19% of their weight, compared with about 6% on placebo.