The Most Powerful Obesity Drug Yet Has a Hidden Benefit—and It Happens While You Sleep
Two trials report sleep benefits
Researchers reported results last week from two phase III trials examining retatrutide in people with obesity and obstructive sleep apnea. One trial included participants with type 2 diabetes; the other enrolled people without diabetes. Together, the trials involved roughly 700 participants.
Across both studies and different doses, participants taking retatrutide had fewer apnea episodes or hypopneas during sleep on average than those given a placebo. More than half of retatrutide users in one trial experienced remission or had their condition reduced to mild sleep apnea, researchers said.
Some participants who improved no longer needed a positive airway pressure machine, a standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
How retatrutide works
Retatrutide is an experimental medicine that mimics three hormones: GLP-1, GIP and glucagon. It belongs to a newer group of drugs being developed for obesity and diabetes. Large randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded studies have suggested retatrutide may be the most potent obesity drug developed so far. The article says regulatory agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, are almost certain to approve it next year.
Limits and other treatments
The effect on apnea symptoms was smaller, though still significant, among participants who had both obesity and type 2 diabetes. Some people may still need other sleep apnea treatments even if they take retatrutide and lose substantial weight.
Excess body weight is not the only risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea. The drug is therefore unlikely to help much with apnea in people who are not overweight or obese; the article says they account for roughly a quarter of cases.
Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide, which combines GLP-1 and GIP activity, received FDA approval for treating obstructive sleep apnea in late 2024. Other pill-based treatments are also being developed.
Key points
- Two trials found fewer sleep apnea episodes among people taking retatrutide than among those given a placebo.
- The trials included roughly 700 participants with obesity, with and without type 2 diabetes.
- More than half of retatrutide users in one trial saw apnea remit or become mild.
- Some people may still need other treatments, since weight is not the only sleep apnea risk factor.