The FDA said studies have shown that by aiding weight loss, Zepbound improves sleep apnea symptoms in some patients.

The FDA on Friday approved Eli Lilly's weight-loss drug Zepbound as a treatment for moderate-to-severe sleep apnea and obesity.

Eli Lilly said the FDA approved Zepbound for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity, the first and only prescription medicine for those suffering from this condition.

An estimated 39 million American adults suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which the upper airway is blocked while sleeping.

The FDA has expanded the approval of Eli Lilly’s obesity medication Zepbound to include treating moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea for people with obesity -- the first medication approved for the condition.

Zepbound, Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug, can now be used to treat obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity, the FDA said.

“Today’s approval marks the first drug treatment option for certain patients with obstructive sleep apnea,” said Sally Seymour, M.D., director of the Division of Pulmonology, Allergy, and Critical Care in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “This is a major step forward for patients with obstructive sleep apnea.”

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved Eli Lilly’s weight-loss drug Zepbound to treat sleep apnea, a common but potentially serious sleep-related breathing disorder, marking the first medication for certain patients with the condition.

In the trial that Lilly, the drug's manufacturer, submitted in April to the FDA, scientists reported that the drug helped people who were overweight or obese with sleep apnea redu