Could a single pill help sleep apnea patients breathe easier?
NCT ID NCT04538755
First seen Jul 15, 2026 · Last updated Jul 16, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial investigates whether a single dose of the experimental drug DAW2020, taken before sleep, can improve how the brain responds to airway blockages in people with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea. The study measures changes in the arousal threshold—the point at which a person wakes up during a breathing pause—using muscle activity sensors. Twenty healthy adults with sleep apnea will receive either DAW2020 or a placebo to see if the drug reduces the number of apnea events.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- an experimental drug called DAW2020
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a new treatment for obstructive sleep apnea that helps people breathe more steadily during sleep.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 20 participants and a single dose, so results may not apply broadly or lead to a proven therapy.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 1/2
Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.
- Participants
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About 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2020
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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21 to 70 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Moderate-to-severe OSA (AHI ≥ 15 events/hr) Exclusion Criteria: * All participants will be healthy and without major organ system disease that would preclude undergoing the physiological measurements. * Use of medications expected to stimulate or depress respiration (including opioids, barbiturates, acetazolamide, doxapram, almitrine, theophylline, 4-hydroxybutanoic acid). * Use of SNRIs/SSRIs. * Conditions likely to affect OSA physiology: neuromuscular disease or other major neurological disorder, heart failure (also below), or any other unstable major medical condition. * Sleep disordered breathing or respiratory disorders other than obstructive sleep apnea: * Other sleep disorders: periodic limb movements (periodic limb movement arousal index \> 10/hr), narcolepsy, or parasomnias. * Hypersensitivity to the study drug (angioedema or urticaria) * Contraindications to DAW2020 * Use of medications that lengthen QTc interval * Hypokaliemia, hypomagnesemia, uncontrolled thyroid disease * Severe claustrophobia.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- A smart neck brace may replace CPAP for sleep apnea
- A blood test for liver trouble may flag hidden risk in sleep apnea patients
- Blood oxygen dips may reveal who stays on CPAP
- Can a simple questionnaire improve sleep apnea treatment?