OBJECTIVES: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative joint condition. Although there is ample evidence linking obesity to OA, little is known regarding the impact of approved anti-obesity medications (AOM), such as semaglutide, on OA. This study aims to investigate the effect of semaglutide AOM on the risk of OA among patients with obesity in the US.

METHODS: Utilizing Kythera Medicare data, we conducted a retrospective cohort study from January 2020 to August 2022. Patients with obesity were classified into two cohorts: those taking semaglutide AOMs and those not taking AOM. A randomly chosen 10% of identified patients not taking AOM were included in the latter cohort. Patients in the AOM cohort had at least one pharmacy claim for Ozempic or Wegovy. Diagnosis codes were used to identify OA during both inpatient and outpatient visits. We also compared results in Ozempic and Wegovy users. The risk of OA was determined using Cox regression. Multivariable analysis was used to control for comorbidities and demographic factors.

RESULTS: After adjusting for demographics and clinical factors, the AOM cohort demonstrated a significantly lower OA risk (HR=0.90; p<.0001). Diabetes was associated with reduced OA risk (HR=0.94, p<.0001). In individuals with obesity, AOM correlated with a 10% lower OA risk (HR=0.90, p<.0001), and patients aged 65 to 70 years had a 9% lower risk than those over 80 (HR=0.91, p<.0001).

CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals a significant association between AOM use and a lowered risk of OA, even after meticulous adjustment for demographic and clinical variables. This finding underscores the potential of AOMs as a valuable component in mitigating the risk of OA in relevant patient populations.