(Adds trial results of Zepbound in sleep apnea in paragraphs 2

and 20)

By Patrick Wingrove

June 26 (Reuters) - Eli Lilly's ( LLY ) blockbuster

diabetes drug Mounjaro and weight-loss therapy Zepbound, as well

as Novo Nordisk's rival medicines Ozempic and Wegovy

are being studied to see whether they can improve health in

other ways.

Zepbound helped resolve moderate to severe obstructive sleep

apnea in up to 52% of patients in two late-stage trials, Lilly

said on Friday.

Below are other conditions obesity treatments are being

tested against:

Alcohol Addiction

* A study by the University of Copenhagen's Psychiatric

Centre Rigshospitalet is investigating whether semaglutide, sold

as Novo's Wegovy and Ozempic, can help reduce alcohol intake in

108 patients diagnosed with alcohol use disorder and obesity.

Alzheimer's disease

* Novo Nordisk has begun a trial testing semaglutide in

patients with early Alzheimer's disease. The study, which will

enroll 1,840 patients, could reach primary completion as early

as 2025.

Cardiovascular disease

* Eli Lilly ( LLY ) is testing tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro and

Zepbound, for patients with heart failure and obesity. Lilly

plans to enroll about 700 people in the study, which is expected

to be completed by July 2024.

* Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong are

testing Novo's semaglutide along with mechanical removal of

clots in patients with strokes caused by the blockage of large

blood vessels to the brain. The approach will be compared with

standard therapy. The mid-stage study aims to recruit about 140

patients.

Chronic kidney disease

* Novo's Ozempic delayed the progression of chronic kidney

disease in diabetes patients, cutting the risk of death from

that and major cardiac events by 24%. That was, however, below

investor expectations.

* Lilly's tirzepatide is being evaluated in a mid-stage

study of chronic kidney disease in patients with obesity. Lilly

plans to enroll up to 140 participants.

Liver disease

* Novo is testing semaglutide in a late-stage trial of

patients with a common type of fatty liver disease called

non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The study is expected to

enroll about 1,200 patients.

* Lilly's tirzepatide helped up to 74% of patients achieve

absence of the disease with no worsening of liver scarring at 52

weeks, compared with 13% of patients on placebo, in a mid-stage

trial for the fatty liver disease formerly known as NASH and now

called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or

MASH.

Neurological disorders

* Researchers at the Danish Headache Center are testing

semaglutide along with a very low calorie diet as a treatment

for new-onset idiopathic intracranial hypertension, a condition

associated with obesity in which blood pressure inside the head

rises. The study aims to recruit about 50 patients and wrap up

as early as 2025.

Sleep apnea

* Zepbound helped resolve moderate to severe obstructive

sleep apnea in up to 52% of patients in two late-stage trials,

which included people who use respiratory devices that help keep

their airways open while they sleep, as well as people who do

not use such devices.

(Reporting by Patrick Wingrove in New York, Sriparna Roy and

Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Bill Berkrot, Devika

Syamnath and Sriraj Kalluvila)