In a groundbreaking study, once-weekly semaglutide injections were shown to significantly reduce both knee osteoarthritis pain and body weight in adults with obesity, offering promising new relief for patients with limited treatment options. Conducted over 68 weeks across 61 sites worldwide, the study enrolled 407 adults with a BMI of 30 or higher and moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis, a condition often worsened by excess weight.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive either semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, or a placebo, alongside lifestyle counseling for diet and physical activity. Findings showed that those treated with semaglutide experienced a 13.7% reduction in body weight compared to only a 3.2% decrease in the placebo group. Moreover, semaglutide users reported a substantial improvement in pain levels, with their Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain scores dropping by an average of 41.7 points, compared to a 27.5-point reduction in the placebo group.
In addition to pain relief, semaglutide improved physical function, measured by the SF-36 Health Survey, with an average increase of 12 points, nearly doubling the improvement seen with placebo. Although most participants tolerated the treatment well, 6.7% in the semaglutide group discontinued due to adverse events, primarily gastrointestinal.
This study highlights semaglutide’s potential as a dual therapy for weight management and knee osteoarthritis symptom relief, a promising development for an aging population with rising obesity rates. By targeting both weight and pain, semaglutide may provide a valuable option for patients suffering from the debilitating impacts of knee osteoarthritis.
Reference: Bliddal H et al. Once-weekly semaglutide in persons with obesity and knee osteoarthritis. NEJM. 2024;391:1573-1583.
