The First Sleep Apnea Drug Is Here

The weight-loss drug Zepbound (tirzepatide) now has another major benefit: on Dec. 20, it became the first drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat obstructive sleep apnea.

In the trial that Lilly, the drug’s manufacturer, submitted in April to the FDA, scientists reported that the drug helped people who were overweight or obese with sleep apnea reduce a standard measure of restricted breathing by 63%, leading to 30 fewer interrupted sleep events a night on average compared to those given a placebo.