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Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a first-line treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, but adherence is poor. Investigators theorized that improving patient comfort during CPAP initiation might lead to better long-term adherence. They randomized 160 adults with newly diagnosed sleep apnea to receive eszopiclone (Lunesta, a nonbenzodiazepine sedative-hypnotic) or placebo for the first 14 nights of CPAP treatment; adherence to CPAP was tracked for 6 months. The study was funded by the drug manufacturer.
When researchers assumed that all 34 patients who did not complete 6-month follow-up had discontinued CPAP, discontinuation was more common among placebo recipients than among eszopiclone recipients (58% vs. 42%; P=0.05). Eszopiclone…