Eli Lilly and Co. recently announced clinical trial results which showed that its weight loss drug, Tirzepatide, has a significant effect on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This medical breakthrough has caused quite a stir among US ventilator companies.

The night before, Eli Lilly and Co. rose 2% in regular trading hours of the US stock market, while the stock price of ResMed, a ventilator company, plummeted over 15%, closing down over 13%. At the same time, Citigroup analysts downgraded ResMed's rating from 'buy' to 'neutral'. The stock prices of ventilator manufacturers, Inspire Medical Systems and AdaptHealth, also fell by 17% and 11%, respectively.

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Louis Aronne, an obesity specialist at Weill Cornell Medical College, called Eli Lilly's Tirzepatide Phase III clinical data a "breakthrough" in the treatment of obesity and sleep apnea.

In the two clinical trials, Tirzepatide reduced the patient's apnea hypopnea index (AHI) by up to 62.8% per hour of sleep, reducing the number of events of restricted or blocked airflow by approximately 30 times per hour of sleep. The effectiveness evaluation showed that 43.0% (study 1) and 51.5% (study 2) of participants in the highest dose Tirzepatide treatment group met the criteria for disease remission.

From a medical perspective, frequent snoring may be a sign of OSA. The condition occurs when the upper airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, leading to airway obstruction, which may cause breathing pauses or weakening, and may be accompanied by a drop in oxygen saturation or awakening during sleep. OSA can cause serious cardiovascular and metabolic complications, such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, stroke, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and type 2 diabetes. In the past 40 years, there have been few significant advances in the treatment of this disease, and many patients need to use PAP and other ventilator devices during sleep to maintain ventilation, but such treatment is limited in effectiveness, and many patients have difficulty adapting to the discomfort caused by them.

Ventilator companies such as ResMed primarily target OSA patients, and Eli Lilly's Tirzepatide will undoubtedly become a strong competitor in this industry.

It is worth mentioning that Tirzepatide has been granted fast track qualification by the US FDA for the treatment of obese patients with moderate to severe OSA. In addition, in November of last year, Tirzepatide was approved by the FDA (under the brand name Zepbound) for use in helping overweight or obese adults lose weight and maintain weight stability.

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