Eli Lilly and Company’s Tirzepatide GLP-1 Weight Loss Drug Is Now Poised To Shrink the Market for Breathing Machines

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What if a single pharmaceutical intervention regime could not only sustainably shrink your waistline but also cure your Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)? This seems too good to be true. Yet, Eli Lilly and Company's (NYSE: LLY) Tirzepatide GLP-1 drug seems to have achieved just that.

Eli Lilly and Company’s "Tirzepatide Led to a Mean AHI Reduction From Baseline of 62.8% Compared to 6.4% From Baseline for Placebo," as per the Results of the SURMOUNT-OSA Study 2.

To wit, Eli Lilly and Company has now announced the results of two studies that investigated the impact of its Tirzepatide GLP-1 offering on sleep apnea. As per the results of the second SURMOUNT-OSA study, Tirzepatide managed to reduce sleep apnea severity by around two-thirds in adults with OSA.

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As a refresher, the GLP-1 hormone plays an important role in suppressing hunger and regulating the production of insulin and glucose. After a meal, GLP-1 agonists raise the level of insulin, which decreases blood glucose levels. Simultaneously, these drugs reduce the speed at which the stomach empties its contents into the small intestine, thereby increasing the feeling of fullness and satiation.

Eli Lilly and Company now plans to submit these results to the US FDA, which is expected to significantly improve Tirzepatide's prospects of securing the US government's insurance coverage for OSA treatment.

Currently, Eli Lilly and Company offers Tirzepatide as one of its proprietary injections-based drugs to combat diabetes and obesity, leveraging both GLP-1 and Glucose-dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide (GIP) agonists to offer better efficacy. The company markets Tirzepatide under the Mounjaro and Zepbound labels, with the former geared toward diabetes and the latter billed as a treatment for