The Food and Drug Administration approved Zepbound as the first prescription medicine to treat sleep apnea on Friday—marking a significant win for the drug company Eli Lilly, which had Zepbound approved as a weight-loss drug last year.
A sign for Eli Lilly & Co. stands outside their corporate headquarters in Indianapolis on April 26, ... [+]
Zepbound, an Eli Lilly drug, can now be prescribed to adults with “moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea and obesity” to improve their sleep, a press release from the company said.
Zepbound received FDA approval to be prescribed to overweight or obese adults in November 2023.
The Eli Lily release said adults who took Zepbound lost an average of 45 pounds—compared to adults who lost 4 pounds on a placebo—and had around 25 fewer interruptions from breathing each hour during sleep.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a common condition that occurs when the upper airway is blocked while sleeping, and its symptoms include loud snoring, gasping for air during sleep, dry mouth and daytime sleepiness, the National Council on Aging reports.
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39 million. That’s about how many American adults have obstructive sleep apnea, according to the National Council on Aging.
Forbes’ estimates Eli Lily has a market value of $731.8 billion, brought in $35.9 billion in sales this year, made $6.1 billion in profit and has $63.9 billion in assets—leading it to a rank of No. 174 on Forbes' Global 2000 companies list this year. The drugs and biotech company also ranked No. 7 on Forbes’ Best Companies in America list for 2025.