Wegovy (semaglutide) reduces pain from obesity-related knee arthritis .- NovoNordisk

A clinical trial of 400 participants across five continents showed that semaglutide,  for treating obesity, provided pain relief on a par with opioid drugs. At the end of the trial, many participants’ pain had subsided enough that they were no longer eligible for the study, says rheumatologist Henning Bliddal. “They got a therapy that was so effective that they more or less were treated out of the study,” .

The results of the 68-week trial could be significant for Novo Nordisk as It could pave the way for regulatory approval of semaglutide for osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease that causes the cartilage and bone in the joints to break down over time.  It would be yet another expansion of the accepted uses for the blockbuster drug. 

 It’s the most common type of arthritis and affects around 33 million people in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The condition is not a regular part of aging, but it is common among adults 45 and above. The risk of developing the condition is four times higher in people with obesity, the trial’s lead study author Dr. Henning Bliddal, director and research professor at The Parker Institute in Denmark,

Citation:"Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Persons with Obesity and Knee Osteoarthritis ";Authors: Henning Bliddal, M.D., Harold Bays, M.D., Sébastien Czernichow, M.D., Ph.D. , Joanna Uddén Hemmingsson, M.D., Ph.D., Jøran Hjelmesæth, M.D., Ph.D., Thomas Hoffmann Morville, M.D., Ph.D., Anna Koroleva, M.D., +5, for the STEP 9 Study Group^*.Published October 30, 2024. N Engl J Med 2024;391:1573-1583. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2403664.VOL. 391 NO. 17