Sleep Apnea: Lilly, Resmed, Inspire

Eli Lilly said on Wednesday its weight-loss drug helped reduce episodes of irregular breathing in patients with obstructive sleep apnea across two late-stage trials. 

The trial results add to a growing body of clinical evidence that suggests GLP-1 drugs, which include popular treatments such as Lilly's Mounjaro and Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, have medical benefits beyond diabetes and weight loss. 

The data could also boost Lilly's chances of U.S. government insurance coverage, Wall Street analysts said ahead of results, and pave the way to expand use of its GLP-1 drugs, sold as Zepbound for obesity and Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes, in a new set of patients. 

Shares of the drugmaker rose 2.3% to $763.9 in premarket hours and have risen 28% this year. 

In the first Lilly study, patients received only tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Zepbound and Mounjaro, and showed a 55% improvement in symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, compared with a 5% improvement in those who received a placebo. 

The second study tested the drug in combination with continuous positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy and patients showed an average 62.8% drop in events of irregular breathing. 

Obstructive sleep apnea, which is characterized by brief interruptions in breathing during sleep, affects roughly 1 billion people globally, according to a 2019 study published in The Lancet. 

Ahead of the Lilly data, analysts had expected to see a 30% to 50% improvement across both patient groups. 

Secondary goals of the studies - such as improvements in blood pressure levels in patients - were also being closely watched. Lilly did not provide detailed results for the secondary goals of the studies. It plans to present detailed data from the studies at a medical conference in June and submit data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies beginning mid-year. 

There are currently no drugs approved to treat the disease, although positive airway pressure therapy is a common treatment. The PAP therapy delivers constant air pressure and prevents airways from collapsing. 

continuous PAP therapy devices are among those approved by the FDA.

Inspire Medical Systems also makes an implantable device that helps keep a patient's airway open during sleep, without the use of a hose or mask. 

Shares of Resmed and Inspire Medical declined between 2% and 3% in premarket hours

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