Sleep apnea: a new oral treatment without reduced mask by 56 % respiratory stops and impresses researchers
A CPAP (Abbreviation of continuous Airway Pressure or PPC continuously, continuous pressure) device, continuous positive pressure) © Andrey Popov
Researchers have just taken a promising step in the fight against obstructive sleep apnea (AOS). In parallel with Successful test of Incannex Healthcare and its IHL-42X treatmenthere is another pill combining two well -known molecules has demonstrated, in a large -scale test, a marked reduction in night respiratory interruptions.
This treatment, developed by the company APNIMED, opens the way to a concrete alternative to the mask with positive pressure, often poorly tolerated by patients.
Sleep apnea: “A big step towards precision medicine” thanks to this revolutionary pill
For millions of people with AOS, at night is a mined land. Repeated respiratory stops, free fall oxygenation, unconscious awakening: a high risk cocktail for the brain as for the heart. So far, the reference treatment was based on CPAP (continuous positive pressure) devices, effective but restrictive. Many abandon. So, the idea of a simple tablet to swallow before sleeping? She was almost fantasy.
We clearly enter the era of precision medicine applied to sleep. This medication is a major progress.
Called AD109, this oral treatment combines atomoxetine – a stimulant used against ADHD – and aroxybutynin, derived from a drug against bladder hyperactivity. Their role? Tone the muscles of the upper airways, in particular the Génioglosse muscle, pillar of the base of the language. Result: a pharynx less subject to collapse during sleep.
It is quite clear that this drug combination reduces episodes of obstructive sleep apnea. And it reduces the severity of oxygen falls during sleep. It’s exciting.
This image clearly illustrates the combined mode of action of the two key molecules of AD109 treatment (Atomoxetine + Aroxybutynine) as part of obstructive sleep apnea © V. Altounian, Science
During a trial carried out on 646 patients for six months, treated participants experienced 56 % less obstructive events than those under placebo. Better still: 22 % of them reached an almost total control of the disease, with less than five respiratory stops per hour. And this, regardless of the weight of patients, which marks a clear break with treatments linked to loss of body mass like the Zepbound.
But it is not yet a perfectly sewn dream. Questions remain: does the drug improve daytime sleepiness? Is it sure in the long term? Side effects linked to atomoxetine (increase in blood pressure, less restful sleep) are to be monitored, as is the impact on inflammatory markers.
Despite these reservations, the enthusiasm is palpable. For many specialists, AD109 could inaugurate a new era: that of precision sleep medicine, where treatment would no longer be a night punishment, but a discreet and targeted solution. Approval by the FDA is hoped for 2026.
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