Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Details

IHL-42X combines two active pharmaceutical ingredients that are each known to reduce AHI when administered individually, acetazolamide and dronabinol. Acetazolamide is a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor approved for various indications. Dronabinol is a synthetic form of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) approved for the treatment of nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy, and anorexia associated with immunodeficiency syndrome. In OSA, dronabinol targets and binds to cannabinoid receptors, stimulating airway dilation, while acetazolamide induces modest metabolic acidosis, signaling excess CO2 in the blood, thus increasing respiration. By combining two agents with mechanisms known to reduce AHI in one pharmaceutical formulation, we believe IHL-42X may have therapeutic benefits at lower doses of each constituent drug that are safe and tolerable.

OSA is a sleep-disordered breathing condition characterized by the narrowing or collapse of the upper airway during sleep, which disrupts breathing and results in poor quality of sleep. Presentation of OSA often includes snoring and episodes of waking up gasping for air. Despite being recognized as a common and chronic disorder, OSA remains under-diagnosed and inadequately treated.