The Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved the first medicine to treat sleep apnoea.

Mounjaro, which has the active ingredient tirzepatide, is widely used to treat type 2 diabetes.

However, the TGA has today expanded the drug’s usage to include obstructive sleep apnoea for adults living with obesity.

This makes Mounjaro the first and only medicine for obstructive sleep apnoea in Australia.

The drug has not been listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and will only be available through private prescription.

Mounjaro can now be used to treat moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnoea in adults living with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more.

Mounjaro cannot be used to treat type 1 diabetes, or by children and teenagers under 18 years old.

Side effects associated with Mounjaro can include an upset stomach, injection site-related side effects, and low blood sugar. 

Obstructive sleep apnoea is the most common of all sleeping disorders and is thought to affect around 780,000 Australian adults.

It occurs when a person’s upper airway becomes blocked, causing breathing to be repeatedly interrupted during sleep. 

Professor Brendon Yee is a respiratory and sleep physician at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research who was involved in a clinical trial of Mounjaro for obstructive sleep apnoea.

Yee said the TGA decision was a “long-awaited development” in the field of sleep medicine.

“For the first time, people with weight-related obstructive sleep apnoea can be treated with a medicine that addresses the underlying cause of their condition,” Yee said. 

“This marks a significant milestone in the treatment of this debilitating sleep disorder.

“Obstructive sleep apnoea can affect anyone, and obesity is the single greatest cause of the condition.

“At least 70 per cent of people living with obstructive sleep apnoea also live with obesity.”