South Australians with obstructive sleep apnea are invited to take part in a clinical trial to develop the first ever medication to treat the sleep disorder.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is commonly treated with a CPAP machine (continuous positive airway pressure) but researchers at the Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health (AISH) at Flinders University are trialling a new drug therapy which aims to open up the airways and improve sufferers’ sleep.
Professor Danny Eckert is leading two trials in SA which originated after a recent discovery with collaborators in Boston, USA.
“The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea is increasing in Australia, with sufferers also at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and stroke,” says AISH director Professor Eckert, from the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute.
“The aim of the first study is to determine the effects of a combination of drug therapies (collectively called AD173) on sleep efficiency in people with OSA.
