Can GLP-1 medicines potentially reverse damage caused by osteoarthritis?

I’ve attached a link to an article that highlights a potential benefit that semaglutides like Ozempic or Wegovy can have on osteoarthritic joints beyond weight loss and decreasing inflammation. Weight loss has been the main benefit of semaglutides. Decreasing the weight a joint is subjected to, decreases pressures which help preserve the structural integrity of a joint. Reducing inflammation also decreases cartilage breakdown.

While these effects are important and help relieve symptoms, they are palliative and don’t address the underlying pathology.

There is early research in mice that Semaglutides (GLP-1) can have a protective and possibly even a reparative role in osteoarthritic joints by reprogramming the metabolism of cells that synthesize and maintain healthy cartilage, which allows them to generate more energy. By initiating a cascade of enzymes, semaglutide appears to alter the metabolic processes used by chondrocytes (cells found in healthy cartilage), making them more efficient and allowing them to survive.

While these findings are largely in animal or laboratory studies and have not been proven in humans, they are exciting because, for the first time, there may be a treatment to possibly alter the progressive degradation osteoarthritic joints experience. I’m excited that the future will see more research and treatments for osteoarthritis targeting the metabolism inside the joint.

As a clinician who cares for people with Osteoarthritis of their hips or knees, I care for a very large number of patients who have lost weight by taking Semaglutides like Ozempic or Wegovy. While these drugs are not without side effects, often their benefits outweigh their risks. I encourage many of my patients to discuss with their primary care physician if taking a GLP-1 is appropriate for them.

https://www.sciencealert.com/semaglutide-may-reverse-damage-caused-by-osteoarthritis-study-suggests