New drug to cure obstructive sleep apnoea

Damon Sedgwick is trialling a new medication, a weekly jab to help cure his obstructive sleep apnea. I knew I snored, but I was told it was pretty bad. And I was told that you actually stopped breathing during the night. It was 63 times an hour. He was constantly tired. The disorder also raising his risk of heart disease. The drug he's trying is for weight loss called tazepatide. It's one of the blockbuster diabetes medications. The reason to investigate weight loss drugs is because the number one risk factor for moderate to severe sleep apnea is body weight. It's hard to believe this was Damon before the study. At his heaviest, he weighed 128 kilograms. I lost about nearly 30 kilograms on the program, so I was really happy with that. Also happy because testing showed his disorder virtually disappeared. I was waking up many times throughout the night and by the time I finished the program, you could almost say that I was cured. 470 people from around the globe took part. Some were on the active drug alone or with C pap, a mask and machine that's used at night. After a year, participants shared nearly 20% of their weight and the severity of their sleep apnea reduced by 60%. I've not seen any medication that actually has produced such a dramatic result. While it doesn't surprise us in a way because we knew that these medications cause significant weight loss, we didn't know how much that would improve sleep apnea. So I think it's the first medication that really does the job. Professor Ron Grunstein says the main side effects, such as nausea and diarrhoea were easily managed. I think we need to also keep in mind that weight maintenance is another big hurdle. Once those drugs are withdrawn, it's good to start embedding lifestyle habits that are going to stick around for the long haul. The Walcock and several other centres across the country are now recruiting patients for another trial, this time involving a newer, potentially more potent weight loss drug. The Walcock Institute is looking for people with type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea to take part one of a growing number of trials exploring how weight loss drugs can impact a range of chronic diseases. Gabriella Rogers, 9 News.