ResMed starts tracking patients on both weight loss drugs, CPAP therapy

YARMOUTH, Maine – ResMed CEO Mick Farrell believes that, based on the company’s early research, weight loss drugs will be a “net positive” for patient flow for sleep apnea. 

“I mean, I think there's $1 trillion worth of market cap now from these (pharmaceutical) companies and they will turn that into marketing to bring people in for the miracle drug,” he said during a recent conference call to discuss ResMed’s latest financial results. “And that will absolutely bring patients in for assessment for all the co-morbidities that are associated with a patient that might have been severely overweight, including sleep apnea, COPD and other cardiovascular diseases and beyond.”  

ResMed has begun tracking a cohort of “many thousands” of patients on both GLP-1s and CPAP therapy and will share its finding each quarter, Farrell said. 

Right now, while it’s still admittedly “early days,” ResMed is not seeing any significant changes in adherence rates or resupply participation in this cohort, Farrell says – an indication that the drugs aren’t impacting demand. 

“We’re seeing, actually, our adherence rates steady and resupply rates steady in that installed base,” he said. 

Farrell also pointed out that, even with increased use of GLP-1s, ResMed is seeing “all-time highs of (new) patients coming into the funnel,” and the company estimates that the addressable market for CPAP therapy will grow to 1.1 billion people in 2050. 

“The bottom line is that there remains a huge number of people needing our sleep apnea treatment solutions today and for the next two to three decades and beyond,” he said. 

Additionally, Farrell said ResMed continues to invest in alternative therapies to capture as much of that market as possible. Those alternative therapies include a 3-D printed device for sleep apnea in Europe called Narval CC, as well as pharmaceuticals and hypoglossal nerve stem technology. 

“We start with the highest efficacy and lowest cost therapy, which is PAP technology, where we have very high adherence rates and the best outcomes for patients, and we go from there,” he said. 

• Weight loss drugs were recently the subject of our HME Newspoll. Read about whether readers believe the market has overreacted.