Effects of Eszopiclone and Lemborexant in People With OSA With a Low Arousal Threshold Who Have Difficulty Sleeping
NCT ID: NCT06928766
Last Updated: 2025-04-18
Study Results
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Basic Information
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NOT_YET_RECRUITING
PHASE2
15 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2025-05-01
2027-06-30
Brief Summary
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People get OSA for different reasons. One key cause is waking up too easily to minor airway narrowing episodes (a low arousal threshold).
Accordingly, this study aims to increase the arousal threshold using a combination approach with a GABAergic and an orexin agent in appropriately selected individuals (i.e., the clinically relevant group of people with OSA with a low arousal threshold and difficulty maintain or initiating sleep). Sleep, breathing and next day performance will be compared across two monitored overnight sleep studies (placebo vs the study drugs).
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Detailed Description
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Insomnia and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) are very common conditions, collectively estimated to affect 2 billion people globally, and share many of the same symptoms. It is also common for people to have both insomnia and sleep apnoea (COMISA). Indeed, 30 to 40% of patients with chronic insomnia also fulfil the diagnostic criteria for OSA. These people can be particularly challenging to treat with conventional therapy approaches.
OSA is characterised by repeated narrowing and closure of the upper airway during sleep, desaturation in oxygen levels, and fragmented sleep. OSA is a heterogeneous disease, with anatomical crowding of the upper airway and at least three distinct non-anatomical endotypes. The non-anatomical OSA endotypes include high loop gain (unstable control of breathing), poor upper airway dilator muscle function, and a low arousal threshold (ArTH- waking up too easily to minor airway narrowing events). Each OSA endotype represents a novel therapeutic target. Adding to the complexity of OSA, more than one endotype can contribute to a person's OSA. While the first line treatment for OSA, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is efficacious, long-term compliance is only 40 to 70%. Those with a low ArTH endotype have markedly lower CPAP uptake and compliance.
Indeed, people with a low ArTH endotype experience frequent cortical arousals (awakenings) leading to fragmented and non-restorative sleep. Frequent cortical arousals prevent transitioning into deeper sleep states that are characterised by more stable breathing. Thus, strategies to increase the arousal threshold to stabilise breathing and reduce OSA severity in people who wake up easily (low ArTH) have been investigated as a novel therapeutic target. For example, commonly used hypnotic agents such as eszopiclone and trazodone can increase the arousal threshold and reduce OSA severity in people with a low ArTH. More recently, we have shown that 50mg quetiapine also improves sleep and reduces OSA severity in people with OSA who report difficulty maintaining sleep. However, the extent to which common hypnotic agents increase the arousal threshold in people with OSA is modest at best (\~20%). This limits the therapeutic efficacy for people with OSA.
Orexin has been identified as an important sleep wake modulator. Accordingly, new orexin antagonists have been developed as novel sleep promotion aids for the treatment of insomnia. For example, the orexin antagonist, Lemborexant, has been shown to be safe and efficacious for the treatment of insomnia including in the elderly and people with OSA.
Given that current monotherapy approaches to increase the arousal threshold in people with OSA have only modestly increased the threshold for arousal with correspondingly modest reductions in OSA severity, there is a need to investigate the potential role for combination hypnotic therapy. Accordingly, this study aims to target two key sleep/wake mechanisms (the GABAergic and orexin systems) to determine if this combination approach yields greater therapeutic benefit than previous attempts with monotherapy in appropriately selected individuals (i.e., the clinically relevant group of people with OSA with a low ArTH and difficulty maintain or initiating sleep).
Conditions
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Study Design
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RANDOMIZED
CROSSOVER
TREATMENT
QUADRUPLE
Study Groups
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Eszopiclone 3mg and lemborexant 10mg
Both Eszopiclone 3mg and Lemborexant 10mg in the form of capsules taken before bedtime. Dosages is taken on one instance for one night only.
Eszopiclone 3 mg
Both eszopiclone and lemborexant taken together at bedtime for one night
Lemborexant 10mg
Both eszopiclone and lemborexant taken together at bedtime for one night
Placebo
Placebo capsules that look exactly like the study drugs, taken before bedtime. Dosage is taken on one instance for one night only.
Placebo
Placebo sugar pills that looks like the eszopiclone and lemborexant capsules taken at bedtime for one night.
Interventions
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Eszopiclone 3 mg
Both eszopiclone and lemborexant taken together at bedtime for one night
Placebo
Placebo sugar pills that looks like the eszopiclone and lemborexant capsules taken at bedtime for one night.
Lemborexant 10mg
Both eszopiclone and lemborexant taken together at bedtime for one night
Other Intervention Names
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA), Apnoea Hypopnea Index ≥ 10 events/hour
* Low arousal respiratory threshold OSA endotype
* BMI ≤35 kg/m2
Exclusion Criteria
* Concomitant medications known to influence breathing, sleep, arousal, or muscle physiology
* Current pregnancy or breast-feeding
* Current or recent other medical conditions likely to affect results or safety
18 Years
ALL
No
Sponsors
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Flinders University
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Professor Danny Eckert
Director, Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health, Professor, College of Medicine and Public Health and Matthew Flinders Fellow, Flinders University
Principal Investigators
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Danny J Eckert, PhD
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
Flinders University
Locations
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Flinders University, Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health
Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
Countries
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Central Contacts
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Facility Contacts
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Laboratory Deputy Manager / Clinical Trials Coordinator
Role: primary
References
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Murphy P, Moline M, Mayleben D, Rosenberg R, Zammit G, Pinner K, Dhadda S, Hong Q, Giorgi L, Satlin A. Lemborexant, A Dual Orexin Receptor Antagonist (DORA) for the Treatment of Insomnia Disorder: Results From a Bayesian, Adaptive, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. J Clin Sleep Med. 2017 Nov 15;13(11):1289-1299. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.6800.
Terauchi M, Cheng JY, Yardley J, Pinner K, Moline M, Malhotra M, Inabe K, Nishida M, Pappadopulos E. Efficacy and safety of lemborexant in midlife women with insomnia disorder. Menopause. 2023 Aug 1;30(8):839-848. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000002209. Epub 2023 Jun 20.
Xue T, Wu X, Li J, Chen S, Wang Z, Tan X, Wang Z, Zhang J. Different doses of dual orexin receptor antagonists in primary insomnia: a Bayesian network analysis. Front Pharmacol. 2023 May 16;14:1175372. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1175372. eCollection 2023.
Habiba U, Waseem R, Shaikh TG, Waseem S, Ahmed SH, Asghar MS. Correction to: Comparative efficacy and safety of lemborexant 5 mg versus 10 mg for the treatment of insomnia: a systematic review. Neurol Sci. 2023 May;44(5):1833. doi: 10.1007/s10072-023-06626-x. No abstract available.
Habiba U, Waseem R, Shaikh TG, Waseem S, Ahmed SH, Asghar MS. Comparative efficacy and safety of lemborexant 5 mg versus 10 mg for the treatment of insomnia: a systematic review. Neurol Sci. 2023 May;44(5):1533-1541. doi: 10.1007/s10072-023-06601-6. Epub 2023 Jan 12.
Cheng JY, Lorch D, Lowe AD, Uchimura N, Hall N, Shah D, Moline M. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of respiratory safety of lemborexant in moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. J Clin Sleep Med. 2024 Jan 1;20(1):57-65. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.10788.
Cheng JY, Filippov G, Moline M, Zammit GK, Bsharat M, Hall N. Respiratory safety of lemborexant in healthy adult and elderly subjects with mild obstructive sleep apnea: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. J Sleep Res. 2020 Aug;29(4):e13021. doi: 10.1111/jsr.13021. Epub 2020 Mar 18.
Eckert DJ, Malhotra A, Wellman A, White DP. Trazodone increases the respiratory arousal threshold in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and a low arousal threshold. Sleep. 2014 Apr 1;37(4):811-9. doi: 10.5665/sleep.3596.
Eckert DJ, Owens RL, Kehlmann GB, Wellman A, Rahangdale S, Yim-Yeh S, White DP, Malhotra A. Eszopiclone increases the respiratory arousal threshold and lowers the apnoea/hypopnoea index in obstructive sleep apnoea patients with a low arousal threshold. Clin Sci (Lond). 2011 Jun;120(12):505-14. doi: 10.1042/CS20100588.
Messineo L, Eckert DJ, Lim R, Chiang A, Azarbarzin A, Carter SG, Carberry JC. Zolpidem increases sleep efficiency and the respiratory arousal threshold without changing sleep apnoea severity and pharyngeal muscle activity. J Physiol. 2020 Oct;598(20):4681-4692. doi: 10.1113/JP280173. Epub 2020 Aug 30.
Messineo L, Carter SG, Taranto-Montemurro L, Chiang A, Vakulin A, Adams RJ, Carberry JC, Eckert DJ. Addition of zolpidem to combination therapy with atomoxetine-oxybutynin increases sleep efficiency and the respiratory arousal threshold in obstructive sleep apnoea: A randomized trial. Respirology. 2021 Sep;26(9):878-886. doi: 10.1111/resp.14110. Epub 2021 Jun 23.
Carter SG, Eckert DJ. Effects of hypnotics on obstructive sleep apnea endotypes and severity: Novel insights into pathophysiology and treatment. Sleep Med Rev. 2021 Aug;58:101492. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101492. Epub 2021 Apr 22.
Carter SG, Carberry JC, Grunstein RR, Eckert DJ. Randomized Trial on the Effects of High-Dose Zopiclone on OSA Severity, Upper Airway Physiology, and Alertness. Chest. 2020 Jul;158(1):374-385. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2020.02.057. Epub 2020 Mar 18.
Carter SG, Carberry JC, Cho G, Fisher LP, Rollo CM, Stevens DJ, D'Rozario AL, McKenzie DK, Grunstein RR, Eckert DJ. Effect of 1 month of zopiclone on obstructive sleep apnoea severity and symptoms: a randomised controlled trial. Eur Respir J. 2018 Jul 19;52(1):1800149. doi: 10.1183/13993003.00149-2018. Print 2018 Jul.
Carter SG, Berger MS, Carberry JC, Bilston LE, Butler JE, Tong BK, Martins RT, Fisher LP, McKenzie DK, Grunstein RR, Eckert DJ. Zopiclone Increases the Arousal Threshold without Impairing Genioglossus Activity in Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Sleep. 2016 Apr 1;39(4):757-66. doi: 10.5665/sleep.5622.
Edwards BA, Eckert DJ, McSharry DG, Sands SA, Desai A, Kehlmann G, Bakker JP, Genta PR, Owens RL, White DP, Wellman A, Malhotra A. Clinical predictors of the respiratory arousal threshold in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2014 Dec 1;190(11):1293-300. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201404-0718OC.
Eckert DJ. Phenotypic approaches to obstructive sleep apnoea - New pathways for targeted therapy. Sleep Med Rev. 2018 Feb;37:45-59. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2016.12.003. Epub 2016 Dec 18.
Gray EL, McKenzie DK, Eckert DJ. Obstructive Sleep Apnea without Obesity Is Common and Difficult to Treat: Evidence for a Distinct Pathophysiological Phenotype. J Clin Sleep Med. 2017 Jan 15;13(1):81-88. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.6394.
Zinchuk A, Edwards BA, Jeon S, Koo BB, Concato J, Sands S, Wellman A, Yaggi HK. Prevalence, Associated Clinical Features, and Impact on Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Use of a Low Respiratory Arousal Threshold Among Male United States Veterans With Obstructive Sleep Apnea. J Clin Sleep Med. 2018 May 15;14(5):809-817. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.7112.
Ghadiri M, Grunstein RR. Clinical side effects of continuous positive airway pressure in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea. Respirology. 2020 Jun;25(6):593-602. doi: 10.1111/resp.13808. Epub 2020 Mar 24.
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Baillieul S, Tamisier R, Eckert DJ, Pepin JL. Current Knowledge and Perspectives for Pharmacological Treatment in OSA. Arch Bronconeumol. 2022 Oct;58(10):681-684. doi: 10.1016/j.arbres.2021.12.013. Epub 2022 Jan 6. No abstract available. English, Spanish.
Eckert DJ, White DP, Jordan AS, Malhotra A, Wellman A. Defining phenotypic causes of obstructive sleep apnea. Identification of novel therapeutic targets. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2013 Oct 15;188(8):996-1004. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201303-0448OC.
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Sweetman A, Lack L, McEvoy RD, Antic NA, Smith S, Chai-Coetzer CL, Douglas J, O'Grady A, Dunn N, Robinson J, Paul D, Eckert D, Catcheside PG. Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia reduces sleep apnoea severity: a randomised controlled trial. ERJ Open Res. 2020 May 17;6(2):00161-2020. doi: 10.1183/23120541.00161-2020. eCollection 2020 Apr.
Benjafield AV, Ayas NT, Eastwood PR, Heinzer R, Ip MSM, Morrell MJ, Nunez CM, Patel SR, Penzel T, Pepin JL, Peppard PE, Sinha S, Tufik S, Valentine K, Malhotra A. Estimation of the global prevalence and burden of obstructive sleep apnoea: a literature-based analysis. Lancet Respir Med. 2019 Aug;7(8):687-698. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(19)30198-5. Epub 2019 Jul 9.
Sweetman A, Lack L, McEvoy RD, Smith S, Eckert DJ, Osman A, Carberry JC, Wallace D, Nguyen PD, Catcheside P. Bi-directional relationships between co-morbid insomnia and sleep apnea (COMISA). Sleep Med Rev. 2021 Dec;60:101519. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101519. Epub 2021 Jun 23.
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Other Identifiers
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1196261
Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT
Identifier Source: secondary_id
7849
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id
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