Nelson Vergel
Founder, ExcelMale.com
New Pill Making Waves in Sleep Apnea
Could there be a new approach — a simple pill — that eases sleep apnea symptoms and replaces more conventional treatments?That’s what researchers at Apnimed hope. Apnimed is a company that’s developed a new oral drug for sleep apnea — currently called AD109. AD109 combines the drugs aroxybutynin and atomoxetine.
Aroxybutynin is used to treat symptoms of an overactive bladder, while atomoxetine is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
“The drug is unique in the sense that, currently, there’s no approved drug for the treatment of sleep apnea,” said Douglas Kirsch, MD, medical director of sleep medicine at Atrium Health in Charlotte, NC. “AD109 keeps the airway from collapsing during the night. And that function is through a combination of drugs, which, in theory, both help keep the airway a little bit more open, but also helps keep people asleep.”
AD109 is currently in phase 3 trials, but results are already out for phase 2.
The conclusion of those phase 2 studies?
“AD109 showed clinically meaningful improvement in [sleep apnea], suggesting that further development of the compound is warranted.” That’s taken straight from the study’s published data.
And onto phase 3 clinical trials the drug goes. But there’s something to consider when looking at these results.
New Drug Offers Hope for CPAP-Free Nights for Sleep Apnea
Pill aimed at treating sleep apnea in phase 3 trials and shows improvement in fatigue.
