Weekly Injection Cuts Sleep Apnoea Severity in Major Drug Trial

The journal posted details of the TRIUMPH-1-OSA and TRIUMPH-2-OSA trials, which tested retatrutide — a once-weekly injectable medicine — in people living with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), a condition where the airway repeatedly collapses during sleep, cutting off breathing for seconds at a time. The findings were shared at Sleep Europe 2026, the annual conference of the European Sleep Research Society.

Retatrutide works by mimicking several gut hormones that regulate appetite and metabolism. It is already being investigated for obesity and type 2 diabetes. OSA is closely linked to excess weight, and researchers have been watching whether drugs in this class — known as multi-agonists — might ease the condition by reducing the fat tissue that can narrow the upper airway.

The two TRIUMPH trials are phase 3 studies, meaning they sit at the most advanced stage of clinical testing before a medicine can be considered for regulatory approval. Phase 3 trials typically enrol large numbers of participants and compare the drug against a placebo to measure both effectiveness and safety.

Meanwhile, the New England Journal of Medicine is one of the most widely read peer-reviewed medical journals in the world, and publication there usually signals findings have passed rigorous independent scrutiny. But peer-reviewed results from a single set of trials are not the same as a licensed treatment — retatrutide is not currently approved for OSA in the UK, and patients should not seek it outside a clinical setting.

Anyone concerned about their sleep, or who has been told they snore heavily or stop breathing at night, should speak to their GP in the first instance. OSA is diagnosed through a sleep study, and existing treatments — including continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines and lifestyle changes — remain the standard NHS approach.

For general health queries, contact NHS 111 online or by phone.