Osteoarthritis concerns approximately 65% over 65s according to Inserm. It is a joint disease that leads to the destruction of cartilage and causes pain, stiffness, and sometimes inflammation. If all joints can be affected, osteoarthritis of the knees is one of the most widespread forms and concerns 30% of cases. This chronic illness is most of the time painful and disabling on a daily basis. It can be caused by age, lack of physical activity, but also by obesity and excess weight which weigh on the joints, recalls the Health Insurance website.
People suffering obesity are therefore particularly at risk of knee osteoarthritis, which is why scientists were interested in the potential of a treatment against obesity to treat it, in a clinical trial carried out in 11 countries, including the results were published on October 30, 2024 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Semaglutide may be effective in reducing osteoarthritis pain in obese people
For the purposes of this work, the researchers randomly distributed 400 participants suffering from obesity and osteoarthritis into a group receiving weekly injections of semaglutidea molecule used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes but also obesity, or in a placebo group.
At the end of the study, the scientists observed that the participants who took semaglutide had lost significantly more weight than those who received the placebo and reported a reduction in pain scores linked to greater osteoarthritis: an average of 42 points out of 100, compared to 28 points among placebo beneficiaries.
Furthermore, those who got semaglutide reported better improvement in their daily activities, such as pointing stairs for example. “By the end of the trial, many participants’ pain had decreased enough that they were no longer eligible for the study”, explained Henning Bliddal, one of the authors of the study, in a press release. “The magnitude of the improvement is of a magnitude we have never seen before with a drug”, also advanced with the New York TimesDr. Bob Carter, deputy director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. He added that the participants “benefited from a reduction of almost 50% of their knee pain. It’s huge”.
Semaglutide: how to explain its effect on osteoarthritis-related pain?
Why is semaglutide effective in reducing knee osteoarthritis pain in obese people? For the study researchers, this may be partly due to a reduction in the load on the knee thanks to the weight loss induced by the treatment. They add that semaglutide also appears to have anti-inflammatory effects, which may explain the pain relief.
According to them, this study is the first to show that an anti-obesity drug can help treat osteoarthritis. Nevertheless, Henning Bliddal questions possible long-term prospects for people who would use semaglutide to relieve osteoarthritis of the knee. Indeed, he emphasizes that people who stop this treatment generally regain the weight lost and that it remains very expensive. The scientists therefore conclude that these results are very interesting, but that it is essential to supplement medications against obesity with good lifestyle habitsin order to maintain a healthy weight over the long term.
Prescriptions for semaglutide-based treatments remain highly regulated in France
As a reminder, semaglutide is present in two drugs in France: l’Ozempicused in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and the Wegovyprescribed to treat obesity. These treatments have gained great popularity on social networks, where influencers have touted their effectiveness in losing weight, without having received a prescription, which is likely to lead to dangerous side effects for health.
This is why the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) recalled that the use of Ozempic was exclusively reserved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and announced that it would put in place reinforced monitoring for ensure that the requirements respect this framework. Likewise for the Wegovythe agency warned on October 8, 2024 that this treatment against obesity must be prescribed by a doctor specializing in endocrinology-diabetology-nutrition, to patients with a BMI greater than 35 kg/m2 and aged under 65.
— ANSM (@ansm) October 8, 2024
Sources :
- Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Persons with Obesity and Knee Osteoarthritis – The New England Journal of Medicine – 30 octobre 2024
- Obesity Drug Shows Promise in Easing Knee Osteoarthritis Pain – The New York Times – 30 octobre 2024
- Osteoarthritis – Inserm
- Osteoarthritis of the knee: definition and contributing factors – Ameli.fr
- Ozempic (semaglutide): a drug to be used only in the treatment of type 2 diabetes – ANSM – March 1, 2024
- GLP-1 analogues and obesity: we are taking measures to secure their use in France – ANSM – October 8, 2024
