Apnimed Announces Groundbreaking Survey Revealing the Alarming Hidden Impact of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

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Oct 09, 2024, 06:00 ET

66% of respondents said exhaustion from OSA affects their ability to be present with loved ones. Nearly 50% of respondents are unable to share a bed with their partners.
92% stated that OSA symptoms have impacted their work productivity in the last week.
71% agree that OSA can make it difficult to cope with the daily stresses of life.
Survey was conducted in consultation with sleep experts and people with OSA. Three national sleep advocacy organizations are collaborating with Apnimed to call for urgent attention to OSA by distributing the survey results across their networks.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Apnimed, Inc., today announced the results of its Sleep Health Inquiries on Needs and Emotions (SHINE) survey of 1,500 people living with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The survey results revealed the significant and often devastating impact that people living with OSA experience daily. Many respondents reported feeling worn out or exhausted from fatigue, with 74% indicating this issue. Additionally, 67% feared long-term health consequences, while 34% expressed a fear of dying due to their OSA.

The impact of OSA spans age, sex, race, ethnicity, and body type — there is no single face of the disease — and the survey revealed the considerable emotional, social, and behavioral burdens and stigma that negatively impact family dynamics, social relationships, self-esteem, and work productivity.

Key findings include:

92% of respondents stated that OSA affects their work and 86% state OSA affects their ability to do other daily activities (e.g., childcare, chores, exercise, etc.)
Younger people with OSA (aged 18-34) — who do not match the common stereotype of OSA affecting older individuals — reported struggling with low self-esteem (42%) and anxiety (54%) and 56% said OSA makes them feel misunderstood or isolated
57% of respondents shared that living with OSA negatively impacts their relationships with family and friends
More than two-thirds (67%) of those surveyed reported feeling depressed or hopeless

Full survey results and methodology can be viewed on OSASurvey.com

OSA is a serious chronic sleep-related breathing disease, affecting more than 54 million people in the United States and nearly one billion worldwide. OSA is caused by two overlapping mechanisms: neuromuscular dysfunction and predisposing anatomic abnormalities. Failure to effectively treat OSA can impair daily function and increase one's risk for serious comorbidities like hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. Yet, among the millions diagnosed, the majority of people with OSA refuse, abandon or underutilize existing treatment, underscoring the need for additional treatment options.

"The SHINE survey has powerfully captured the voices and challenges faced by individuals living with OSA, a chronic illness that has failed to receive the public attention it deserves," said Monica P. Mallampalli, PhD, Executive Director, Alliance of Sleep Apnea Partners (ASAP), "The real-life experiences of living with OSA spotlighted in the results emphasize the need for greater awareness, both for the public and for healthcare providers, to improve recognition and management of this often-overlooked condition."

The SHINE survey included consultation with sleep experts and patient advocacy organizations to ensure that the survey and its analysis accurately represented the experiences and viewpoints of the diverse OSA community. Three leading sleep health advocacy organizations collaborated with Apnimed to review the survey results and have joined forces to distribute these findings with their communities. The group includes Alliance of Sleep Apnea Partners (ASAP), American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA), and Project Sleep.

Apnimed, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on discovery, development, and commercialization of novel oral therapies for the treatment of OSA and other sleep-related breathing diseases, developed the SHINE survey to provide valuable insights to enable the sleep health community to better comprehend the psychosocial impacts of living with OSA and support people living with the disease.

"We are incredibly proud to sponsor this groundbreaking survey, which shines a light on the significant challenges faced by those living with OSA," said Larry Miller MD, CEO of Apnimed. "This effort would not have been possible without the invaluable collaboration of advocacy organizations dedicated to sleep health. We drew on insights from many of their previous efforts such as the ASAA-led AWAKE initiative. Their commitment to raising awareness and advocating for better diagnosis and treatment of OSA is truly inspiring. Together, we are taking an important step toward making OSA a public health priority and ensuring that the voices of those affected are heard and supported."

Visit OSAsurvey.com to read personal stories of four people living with OSA that shine further light on the challenges of this disease, as well as the full results of the survey.

About Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious chronic sleep-related breathing disease where the upper airway repeatedly collapses during sleep, causing intermittent oxygen deprivation. It is caused by two overlapping mechanisms: neuromuscular dysfunction during sleep and predisposing anatomic abnormalities. The impact of OSA spans age, sex, and body type—there is no single face of the disease. Every night, greater than 54 million people in the U.S. and 1 billion people worldwide with OSA intermittently stop breathing, exposing them to serious, long-term health risks. An individual with OSA can experience hundreds of these sleep apnea events in a single night. Each sleep apnea event reduces blood oxygen levels and deprives cells of the energy they need to perform vital functions. Ultimately, failure to effectively treat OSA increases the risk of long-term health consequences and quality of life impacts, including daytime fatigue, impaired judgement, premature death, and severe and potentially life-threatening health complications, such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. Yet, even after being diagnosed, the majority of people with OSA either refuse, abandon, or underutilize treatment. In addition, no currently available treatments address the underlying neuromuscular dysfunction present in all OSA cases.

About Apnimed
Apnimed is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to breathing new life into the sleep-related breathing disease treatment landscape. The company envisions a new era where novel oral therapies simplify intervention, expand the reach of diagnosis and treatment, and elevate the health and expectations of everyone in the sleep-related breathing disease community. Based in Cambridge, Mass., Apnimed is advancing a focused pipeline of oral pharmaceutical product candidates designed to help improve oxygenation for people living with obstructive sleep apnea and other sleep-related breathing diseases, including several that are part of our joint venture with Shionogi & Co., Ltd, Shionogi Apnimed Sleep Science (SASS). Learn more at apnimed.com or follow us on X and LinkedIn.

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SOURCE Apnimed, Inc.