New research suggests that weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy may help some patients avoid knee replacement surgery.
Earlier studies had shown that GLP-1 medications can reduce pain caused by knee osteoarthritis; however, it was not known whether they could also lower the chances of needing knee replacement surgery.
For this study, researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the US analyzed health records of 6.8 million adults diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis between 2010 and 2024.
They identified around 42,000 patients who had taken a GLP-1 drug for at least one year and compared them with a similar group of patients who had not used these medications. The researchers also looked at data from nearly 31,000 people who had taken the drugs for three years. The patients were followed for up to eight years after their diagnosis to see whether they eventually needed knee replacement surgery.
The study, published in Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, found that people who took GLP-1 medications for one year had a lower risk of needing knee replacement surgery. Their risk was 1.4 percentage points lower after three years and 2.8 percentage points lower after eight years compared with those who did not take the drugs.
"Maintaining a healthy weight can play a vital role in managing osteoarthritis, particularly in weight-bearing joints such as the knees and hips," Professor Lucy Donaldson, director of research at Arthritis UK, told The Guardian. "For those able [to stay active and mobile], even a small amount of weight loss can improve symptoms and sometimes slow the progression of osteoarthritis."
The biggest benefit was seen in patients taking newer weight-loss medicines such as semaglutide and tirzepatide for longer periods. Those who used these drugs for three years had nearly a 5-percentage-point lower chance of needing knee replacement surgery after eight years.
The researchers estimated that if all eligible patients with knee arthritis and obesity or metabolic conditions used semaglutide or tirzepatide for three years, it could prevent up to 14,400 knee replacement surgeries each year in the US and more than 1,500 annually in the UK.
"GLP-1 receptor agonists are not approved for the treatment of osteoarthritis, and we would strongly caution against their use for this purpose outside of clinical trials," responding to the study, Mark Bowditch, a consultant knee surgeon and immediate past president of the British Orthopaedic Association, told The Guardian.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Business News
May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.