Topline The FDA approved Zepbound, which it termed the first prescription medication specifically approved to treat obstructive sleep apnea, on Friday—the latest victory for a pharmaceutical company that saw Zepbound approved as an obesity drug last year.
Key Facts
Zepbound, which is an Eli Lilly drug, can now be used to treat adults with “moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea and obesity” to help the patients sleep better, said a press release from the company.
Overweight or obese adults prescribed Zepbound received an FDA approval in November 2023.
According to the Eli Lily release, adults who received Zepbound lost an average of 45 pounds-more than adults who lost only 4 pounds on a placebo-and had around 25 fewer interruptions from breathing each hour during sleep.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a common condition when the upper airway is blocked during sleep, and its symptoms include loud snoring, gasping for air during sleep, dry mouth and daytime sleepiness, according to the National Council on Aging.
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Key Background
Zepbound is a Glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, receptor agonist. These are types of drugs that treat diabetes and weight loss by suppressing appetite and lowering blood sugar and A1C. Zepbound was the third drug approved for weight loss behind Wegovy and Saxenda. The FDA granted Zepbound “fast track” approval to study its uses for overweight or obese adults with comorbidities such as sleep apnea in 2022, around when weight-loss drugs began growing in popularity. In April of this year, Eli Lilly said a late-stage trial of Zepbound showed promising results for treating sleep apnea symptoms in obese adults, furthering the belief that weight-loss drugs may have other health benefits. The CDC has previously warned that sleep apnea can give people an increased risk of several cardiovascular diseases like coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension and irregular heartbeats. The most common and most reliable treatment for sleep apnea is a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, according to the Mayo Clinic, which administers air pressure through a mask while one sleeps, though there are some other options—including surgery—if a person can’t tolerate a mask while sleeping.
Forbes Valuation
Forbes reports that Eli Lily has a market value of $731.8 billion, with revenues of $35.9 billion this year, profits of $6.1 billion, and assets of $63.9 billion. It thus stands at position 174 in the list of Global 2000 firms according to Forbes this year. The pharmaceutical and biotech company also emerged seventh in Forbes’ 2025 list of the Best Companies in America.
