Understanding the Potential of Innovation in OSA Management
Originally published on the National Sleep Foundation website as part of Sleep Awareness Week 2023.
As part of Sleep Awareness Week®, we welcome the contributions and perspectives of our sponsors. National Sleep Foundation (NSF) recognizes our Sleep Awareness Week 2023 Sponsors for their support of our sleep health mission and notes the information provided below does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of NSF.
At Apnimed, we are working to transform the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) based on a simple idea – people with OSA could benefit from treatment with an oral medication. We are at the clinical trial stage of developing oral medications that address the disorder’s underlying neurobiology to activate upper airway muscles and maintain an open airway during sleep. This approach could be a major advance for people with OSA, if successful.
Importantly, OSA is one of the most common and serious sleep disorders, affecting millions of American women and men, and hundreds of millions more worldwide. Still, underdiagnosis continues to be a serious problem and the number of people living with OSA may be far greater.
We understand OSA is characterized by partial or complete upper airway obstruction that repeatedly occurs during sleep and can block breathing throughout the night. This often leads to poor sleep, and in the long term, has been shown to worsen hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. Additionally, the effects of OSA can impair work productivity, reduce daytime functional abilities, and lower quality of life.
Our work considers OSA can occur when reduced signaling from the brain causes the upper airway and tongue muscles to relax during sleep, which can impair or block breathing. Different devices are used to keep the airway open, and the vast majority of those diagnosed with OSA currently are prescribed positive air pressure therapy devices such as continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP. While these machines work for many people, many abandon the treatment over the long term, which can leave a significant number of people untreated, undertreated and at risk.
Apnimed is proud to support the National Sleep Foundation’s efforts to raise awareness of sleep health and sleep disorders. Learn more about our efforts to improve Americans’ sleep at apnimed.com or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn for news about upcoming clinical trials.
A Word from the National Sleep Foundation
National Sleep Foundation (NSF) is committed to helping anyone and everyone be their Best Slept Self®. If you are still having problems sleeping after focusing on the basics, it may be time to talk to your healthcare provider. Click here to find out more from NSF about OSA. As part of Count On Sleep, NSF collaborates with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and others on a CDC-funded awareness program to improve recognition of OSA. Learn from sleep medicine specialists how OSA is “More Than A Snore.”