Nov 9 (Reuters) – Eli Lilly said on Monday its oral weight-loss drug Foundayo significantly reduced breathing interruptions during sleep in obese adults with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea, meeting the main goal of a late-stage study.
Shares of the drugmaker rose over 3% in morning trade.
Patients with the condition stop breathing briefly while sleeping, causing drops in oxygen and increased blood pressure that could lead to long-term heart complications.
The condition, often managed by Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) therapy, affects roughly one billion people globally.
In the 712-patient study, Foundayo on average reduced breathing interruptions by up to 44% in patients not using PAP therapy and by 27.5% in those using PAP at 52 weeks as measured by a diagnostic scale used to calculate sleep apnea severity, Lilly said.
The company plans to seek U.S. regulatory approval for Foundayo to treat moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea by the end of 2026.
The drug, chemically known as orforglipron, also reduced sleep apnea-related oxygen deprivation – a measure of how much and how long oxygen levels drop during sleep – by 55.9% in participants not using PAP therapy and by 45.8% in those using PAP therapy.
In 2024, Lilly’s blockbuster weight-loss injectable, Zepbound, became the first drug approved in the US to treat patients with the common sleeping disorder.
(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
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