“A Review of Pharmacological Therapies for Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Impact on Cardiovascular Outcomes”

Purpose of Review Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a multifaceted disorder linked to cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction, and neurocognitive impairment and affects at least 1 billion people worldwide. While continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) remains the gold standard treatment for OSA, variable patient adherence has prompted growing interest in pharmacological approaches. This review aims to provide an overview of pharmacological treatments for OSA and discuss the future of managing OSA patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Recent Findings Current pharmacological strategies include augmenting upper airway dilator muscle activity, stabilizing control of breathing, blocking cardiovascular consequences of OSA, addressing OSA symptoms, promoting CPAP adherence, and facilitating weight loss. In particular, facilitating weight loss with GLP-1 receptor agonists has shown improvements in both OSA and CVD biomarkers. Summary The future of OSA management will likely continue to include a combination of therapies, targeting mechanical airway obstruction, underlying obesity, and CVD risk factors.