NEW YORK, June 6 (Reuters) - Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly presented results to medical experts on Saturday from a trial of its next-generation obesity drug, retatrutide, which reduces the severity of sleep apnea, as well as promotes weight loss and eases knee pain.
• In a phase III clinical trial, Lilly found that weekly injections of retatrutide reduced the severity of moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea by 60,6% in obese adults. Lilly's older drug, Zepbound, is approved for the condition.
• In the same study, the drug reduced knee osteoarthritis pain by 73,1%, according to a Lilly study. The results were presented at the American Diabetes Association conference in New Orleans.
• Lilly previously released results from two studies presented Saturday that showed obese patients lost 28% body weight and adults with type 2 diabetes experienced significant reductions in blood sugar levels.
• In one study of 2%, serious adverse cardiovascular events were observed in diabetic patients taking the lowest dose of the drug. These events were not necessarily caused by the drug, according to detailed results published in the journal Lancet on Saturday.
• Retartrutide is Lilly's experimental drug with a "triple-G effect" that targets GLP-1, a second hormone linked to obesity called GIP, and the body's receptors for a third hormone called glucagon.
• The Indiana company and its rivals, including Denmark's Novo Nordisk, are vying for dominance in the fast-growing market for obesity and diabetes drugs.
(Reporting by Chris Prentice; Editing by Caroline Huemer and Will Dunham)