A Pill for Sleep Apnea Could Be on the Horizon
- Reference: 0178509628
- News link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/07/30/0314210/a-pill-for-sleep-apnea-could-be-on-the-horizon
- Source link:
> For decades, the primary treatment for sleep apnea has been continuous positive airway pressure (or CPAP). Before bed, those with the condition put on a face mask that is connected to a CPAP machine, which keeps the airway open by forcing air into it. The machines are effective, but many find them so noisy, cumbersome or uncomfortable that they end up abandoning them. Now, a more appealing option may be on the way, according to a [2]news release from Apnimed, a pharmaceutical company focused on treating sleep apnea. On Wednesday, the company announced a second round of positive Phase 3 clinical trial results for a first-of-its-kind oral pill that can be taken just before bedtime to help keep a person's airway open.
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> The full results have not yet been released, or published in a peer-reviewed journal. But the findings build on past, similarly positive conclusions from trials and studies. Sleep experts say that what they're seeing in reports so far makes them think the pill could be a game changer. Dr. Phyllis Zee, a sleep doctor and researcher at Northwestern Medicine who was not involved with the trial, said that if approved, the drug could transform the lives of many. That includes not only those who can't tolerate CPAP machines, but also those who can't -- or prefer not to -- use other interventions, such as other types of oral devices or weight loss medications. (Excess weight is a risk factor for sleep apnea.)
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/well/apnimed-sleep-apnea-clinical-trial-ad109.html
[2] https://apnimed.com/article/ad109toplinephase3results/
Yay more medication (Score:2)
It seems to be a default these days that we seek to chemically medicate for every condition, or in fact in some cases without condition (no I'm not talking about vaccines, I'm talking about the people who take an aspirin every day to prevent heart disease while washing it down with a coke)
Also what do you mean CPAP is the primary treatment? Where I live it is the treatment of last resort. MAD is the primary prescribed treatment. I was taken off a CPAP machine and fitted with a MAD and it was such a life cha
Re: Yay more medication (Score:2)
Maybe because without a scope up your nose and down your throat while you're sleeping, your doctor would have no idea where the obstruction is happening, and a MAD addresses only a small portion of your airway.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm glad the oral device works so well for you, but my BiPAP works great for me. And I have a co-worker who unfortunately can't seem to deal with either of those... so an effective pill might be a game-changer for him.
Different strokes for different folks.
Blocked? (Score:2)
NYT robot filter blocks the article.
CPAP vs pill (Score:2)
I think it will be good to put even a low-efficacy pharmaceutical solution in the hands of pulmonologists. It's not my experience that they have any knowledge of any particular CPAP configuration, and are relatively ignorant of how important a respiratory therapist is in terms of adoption and continued use. I found mine at an out-of-network supplier via a word-of-mouth suggestion- if I hadn't, I'd also be one of those who had abandoned CPAP use.
CPAP/BiPAP isnt noisy (Score:2)
Fake news: The summary says these machines are noisy. The machine is basically silent, background noise of HVAC is louder. When they are worn without leaks, the mask should be quiet too.
I doubt the pill will be as effective as CPAP/BiPAP but im curious what happens when the patient uses both?
Disfigured skulls and jaws are the problem. (Score:2)
I'm pretty sure a pill isn't going to fix my lobsided skull or my staggered teeth and underdeveloped jaws. A problem evidently linked to wrong post-teething toddler nutrition rampant in modern societies around the world for roughly 200 years. There's even [1]a book on the problem (Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic) [goodreads.com].
[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35804366-jaws
results and mechanism (Score:2)
22% of the patients saw the symptoms of sleep apnea disappear completely.
The drug combines a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (which should increase a hormone responsible for the fight-or-flight reflex), and an antimuscarinic, which should relax the airways.
Re: results and mechanism (Score:2)
Relaxation is typically the problem.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, looks like I got it wrong. "Antimuscarinics block the action of acetylcholine at muscarinic receptors, which can help to increase muscle tone in the upper airway during sleep." I'm not entirely sure how that happens.