Drug Treatment for Sleep Apnea

Posted on 06-10-2004

Drug Treatment for Sleep Apnea

University of Illinois at Chicago Grants License for Novel Drug Therapy for Sleep Apnea

CHICAGO, Sept. 27 (AScribe Newswire) — A promising drug therapy for the treatment of sleep apnea, a serious and common sleep-related breathing disorder has been licensed by the University of Illinois at Chicago, where it was first conceptualized, to an intellectual property and technology commercialization company for clinical development.

A drug or a set of drugs to fix sleep apnea? I’m perfectly happy with my CPAP machine and wouldn’t want to chance the side effects. I do know a few people that hate their machines and their masks always slide around. Drugs might be the answer for people that can’t handle a machine and mask. My answer would be to get a better fitting mask.

UIC signed a licensing and research agreement to further develop a novel pharmacological therapy for sleep apnea with BTG, of Conshohocken, Pa.

The basis for the therapy was uncovered by two noted UIC sleep researchers, Drs. David Carley and Miodrag Radulovacki, who demonstrated in preclinical and clinical studies that turning up or down the signaling pathways of certain neurotransmitters can significantly reduce the incidence of sleep apnea.

“This has real clinical significance,” said Carley, who is professor of medicine, pharmacology and bioengineering and director of research at the UIC Center for Sleep and Ventilatory Disorders. “Although sleep apnea is as common as asthma or diabetes, there is currently no cure and no fully effective long-term treatment.”

Sleep apnea is a serious respiratory disorder that involves cessation of breathing for prolonged intervals during sleep. It is estimated that 15 million to 20 million people in the United States suffer from apnea, which has been linked to increased risk for hypertension, heart failure, depression and diabetes.

And a bunch of truck drivers.

Currently, no drugs are approved to treat sleep apnea. The novel therapy being developed by BTG and UIC comprises a combination of two drugs that are currently approved and in use to treat conditions unrelated to sleep apnea.

Comments

Tom Stetter on 19 January, 2007 at 8:08 am #

Do you ever worry about carbon monoxide while driving?

gustav on 26 March, 2007 at 3:08 pm #

Often sleap apnea can be a sign of being overweight which means as a truck driver you definitely need to be tested for diabetes. One test I have found is great is from http://www.flexsite.com. It is for A1c and lets you test just every 90 days to see how you have managed your glucose/diabetes levels. Plus, all you have to do is mail it in and then call for your results or wait for them in the mail. There is more information on their site or the american diabets association site.

Jon on 17 October, 2008 at 12:32 pm #

The serious health and safety problems associated with sleep apnea, a common sleep problem related to snoring, is finally getting the attention it deserves and the punishment it does not. I used to fall asleep just leaning against a wall and put my car in park whenever I stopped at a red light etc.. 10 hours of sleep was never enough. Now I sleep with the dreaded CPAP machine and 5 hours of sleep is all I ever need. The health benefits, not to mention the benefits of not falling asleep in the truck, are well established but not to AARP’s Atena high deductible health insurance gate keepers. I recently applied and was turned down because of a previous diagnosis of sleep apnea. I strongly recommend everyone with a sleep disorder be evaluated for sleep apnea and use the CPAP. I hate the machine but love the results. However, be aware that Aetna at least will disqualify an otherwise very healthy person for doing the right thing, another argument for single payer health care. This is not a problem in Canada or Great Briton.

angelinjones on 14 November, 2008 at 8:23 pm #

OSA, in most cases, is a condition characterized by considerable comorbidity, including hypertension, obesity, metabolic derangement and hormonal dysfunction.
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