At the annual conference of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) last spring, results were presented from a randomized clinical trial with the popular drug semaglutide for the treatment of overweight patients with concurrent knee osteoarthritis.
In the study, researchers reported that treatment with a weekly injection of 2.4 mg semaglutide led to 10% more weight reduction and 14 points (scale 0-100) less knee pain after 1 year compared to placebo treatment. The semaglutide-treated patients reduced their knee pain by 41.7 points, while the placebo group reduced theirs by 27.5 points.
The study, led by Danish researchers, included a total of 407 adult individuals with obesity (BMI >=30) and known knee osteoarthritis with pain. Patients were randomly assigned to treatment with semaglutide and lifestyle intervention or to treatment with placebo and lifestyle intervention. The study did not present any results on whether osteoarthritis changes on X-rays or MRI images were affected differently in the two treatment groups.
Semaglutide (marketed under the brand names Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy) is a drug originally developed for type 2 diabetes to lower blood sugar. The drug has also been shown to reduce body weight and body fat mass by decreasing appetite and thus lowering energy intake, making it highly sought after. In Sweden, semaglutide is currently not subsidized for the indication of obesity, so patients have to bear the full cost themselves (approximately 4000-4500 SEK per month). There is still a shortage of the drug worldwide as demand exceeds production.
The full results of the study are expected to be published in a scientific journal shortly.
