- Design
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of 6 randomised trials
- Population
- 1,069 adults with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnoea
- Primary outcome
- Change in apnoea-hypopnoea index
- Effect
- AHI −9.99 events/h (95% CI −16.47 to −3.50); I² 87%
A meta-analysis in Sleep and Breathing (6 October) pooled six randomised trials (1,069 adults) of liraglutide or tirzepatide in moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnoea.
The drugs reduced the apnoea-hypopnoea index by about 10 events an hour and weight by about 10 kg, and lowered systolic blood pressure by about 5 mmHg. Oxygen desaturation index and nadir saturation did not clearly change. Adverse events were not increased.
Heterogeneity was very high, largely because tirzepatide is much more potent than liraglutide, so the pooled figure blends very different drugs. The authors are explicit that these drugs complement rather than replace CPAP.
- GLP-1-based drugs reduced AHI by about 10 events an hour on average
- Effects varied widely by drug; tirzepatide trials drove the larger reductions
- Oxygenation measures did not clearly improve
- Use alongside CPAP in patients with obesity, not instead of it
Why it matters
Weight-loss drugs now offer a disease-modifying route that lifestyle advice rarely achieved.
Don't overread it
Very high heterogeneity — the pooled effect is an average of quite different drugs.
The statistics, in plain English
I² of 87% for AHI means most of the variation between trials reflects real differences, not chance, so the single pooled number should not be quoted to an individual patient.
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