Lilly's Foundayo Pill Cuts Sleep Apnea Interruptions 44 Percent

Eli Lilly's oral weight-loss drug Foundayo cut breathing interruptions by up to 44 percent in a late-stage sleep apnea trial.

Eli Lilly said November 9, 2026, that its oral drug Foundayo reduced breathing interruptions by up to 44 percent after 52 weeks in obese adults with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea who were not using airway pressure therapy, in a 712-patient trial. [Reuters — Lilly's weight-loss pill improves sleep apnea in late-stage trial (November 9, 2026)]

The trial ran as two independent studies: 363 participants who were unable or unwilling to use positive airway pressure therapy, and 349 who were already on it. Among patients using PAP therapy, Foundayo reduced breathing interruptions by 27.5 percent. Participants lost about 28 pounds on average over the 52 weeks regardless of whether they used PAP. The drug also reduced sleep apnea-related oxygen deprivation, the depth and duration of oxygen drops during sleep, by 55.9 percent in the group not using PAP and by 45.8 percent in the group using it. [Reuters — Lilly's weight-loss pill improves sleep apnea in late-stage trial (November 9, 2026)]

Foundayo belongs to the GLP-1 class and was approved for weight loss earlier this year. The result extends a lead Lilly built with its injectable Zepbound, which became the first drug approved for obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder in which the airway repeatedly narrows or closes during sleep. Lilly says it plans to seek United States approval for the sleep apnea indication by the end of 2026. A pill that treats both weight and apnea would reach patients who decline injections or cannot tolerate a mask, which is most of the diagnosed population that currently goes untreated. [Reuters — Lilly's weight-loss pill improves sleep apnea in late-stage trial (November 9, 2026)]