Oral pill could provide new option for people with sleep apnea

( NewsNation ) — An oral drug designed to treat sleep apnea showed promising results in a recent clinical trial, suggesting there may be another alternative on the market soon for people who don’t like using Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines.

In the phase 3 trial, 646 adults with mild to severe obstructive sleep apnea were given the once-nightly pill AD109, Science Daily reported , based on materials provided by the American Thoracic Society. Researchers found that more than 40 percent of participants’ conditions improved to a less severe OSA classification, while 18 percent achieved complete control of the disease.

The trial also found that the number of breathing interruptions fell by 44 percent in patients who took the medication, while the placebo group only showed a less than 20 percent reduction, according to Science Daily. The outlet said AD109 is intended to work by supporting throat muscles, “so the airway is less likely to sag or collapse during sleep.”

Obstructive sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that occurs when the throat muscles relax and repeatedly block the airway during sleep. It affects nearly one billion adults worldwide and is linked to serious health problems, including heart disease and stroke.

Around 30 million people in the U.S. suffer from the disease, according to the American Lung Association , but millions go undiagnosed and untreated.

For those who are diagnosed, CPAP machines are the most common treatment ; however, some people cannot tolerate them or decline to use them. The participants in the study, which was published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, all fit into one of those categories, per Science Daily.

It is important to note that while side effects were described as “mild and expected,” 21 percent of patients in the study stopped taking the drug because of them, the outlet added. Still, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given AD109 the Fast Track designation, “reflecting the need for effective and well-tolerated drug therapies for the condition.”

NewsNation recently reported on a review published in JAMA Otolaryngology that found GLP-1 drugs may reduce the severity of obesity-related sleep apnea.

NewsNation staff contributed to this report.