A new trial has found that the GLP-1 drug semaglutide can significantly help obese individuals manage knee arthritis.
Participants who received weekly injections of semaglutide, used in the diabetes drug Ozempic and weight-loss medication Wegovy, experienced an average 14% reduction in body weight over 68 weeks, compared to just 3% for those on a placebo.
This weight loss led to a notable decrease in knee pain and improved knee function.
The study involved 407 obese adults with knee arthritis and showed that those on semaglutide had a 42-point reduction in knee pain on a 100-point scale, while placebo recipients had a 28-point reduction.
Additionally, those taking semaglutide demonstrated nearly double the improvement in physical function scores compared to the placebo group.
Researchers suggest semaglutide could serve as an effective alternative to knee replacement surgery for individuals with obesity and worsening knee arthritis, highlighting the need for non-surgical treatments for knee pain.
