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Obese people with knee osteoarthritis can experience major improvements in pain and weight with once-weekly subcutaneous Semaglutide treatment.
In a 68-week randomized controlled trial conducted across 11 countries, once-weekly injectable Semaglutide (2.4 mg) remarkably reduced body weight and pain in those grappling with obesity and moderate-to-severe knee osteoarthritis pain. Researchers investigated Semaglutide (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist) to tackle both weight and knee pain simultaneously. Overall, 407 volunteers, primarily women (81.6%) with a body mass index (BMI) of 40.3 and a baseline Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) pain score of 70.9 were included.
The recruited patients (average age of 56 years) were randomly allocated to receive once-weekly subcutaneous Semaglutide (2.4 mg) or placebo, along with guidance on physical activity and a calorie-restricted diet. The primary outcomes were changes in body weight and WOMAC pain score, while the secondary outcome focused on physical function as measured by the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36).
Key findings:
1. Weight reduction:
Participants receiving Semaglutide achieved an average weight loss of 13.7% from baseline.
This was markedly greater than the 3.2% weight loss seen in the placebo group.
2. Pain relief:
WOMAC pain score improved by 41.7 points in the Semaglutide group, compared to 27.5 points in the placebo group.
This indicates a remarkable reduction in knee osteoarthritis pain.
3. Physical function:
Improvement in the SF-36 physical function score was more in the Semaglutide group (12.0 points) than in the placebo group (6.5 points).
4. Safety and adverse events:
The incidence of serious side effects was similar across both groups.
However, discontinuation due to adverse events, primarily gastrointestinal issues, was higher in the Semaglutide group (6.7%) as opposed to the placebo group (3.0%).
Thus, Semaglutide illustrated dual benefits in tackling both obesity and knee osteoarthritis symptoms.
The New England Journal of Medicine
Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Persons with Obesity and Knee Osteoarthritis
Henning Bliddal et al.
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