Meds like Ozempic could ease arthritis

What’s Happening

Breaking it down: A study in mice and people with osteoarthritis suggests semaglutide can bulk up cartilage between bones, though bigger trials are needed to confirm.

News Health & Medicine Meds like Ozempic could ease arthritis In mice and humans with osteoarthritis, semaglutide appeared to thicken cartilage People with osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease, can experience pain and loss of cartilage in the knees. Treatment with the drug semaglutide could rebuild the tissue, a new study suggests. (let that sink in)

ATHIMA TONGLOOM/GETTY MEDIA By Meghan Rosen 15 hours ago this: via email (Opens in new window) Email on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit on X (Opens in new window) X Print (Opens in new window) Print Listen to this article This is a human-written story voiced by AI.

The Details

) Ozempic’s key ingredient may act directly on cartilage to repair creaky joints. In mice and people, semaglutide can ease symptoms of the joint disease osteoarthritis and thicken the cartilage pillowed between bones, researchers report February 9 in Cell Metabolism .

Thicker cartilage suggests the tissue is being rebuilt, says Di Chen, a physician and biologist at Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology in China. “That’s a good thing,” he says.

Why This Matters

” More cartilage means more cushion , which means less bone-on-bone grinding and less pain. For our We summarize the week’s scientific breakthroughs every Thursday. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting more than 500 million people worldwide.

This could have implications for future research in this area.

Key Takeaways

• The disease can affect the hands, knees, hips and other joints, causing severe pain as cartilage wears away and tissues inflame.
• There’s no cure, and no medications that prevent it from becoming worse.
• Doctors can only help patients try to manage pain, Chen says.
• Scientists think weight loss can help alleviate symptoms load on joints.

The Bottom Line

Scientists think weight loss can help alleviate symptoms load on joints. That’s why semaglutide, the smash weight loss drug in Ozempic and Wegovy, is considered a contender for osteoarthritis treatment.

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