New study reveals another benefit in using Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy in obesity

A newly published study in the New England Journal of Medicine highlighted this week that Novo Nordisk’s (NVO) GLP-1 agonist semaglutide, marketed as Wegovy for obesity, can reduce symptoms of joint disease in addition to weight loss.

If the company follows up on data, the global study conducted in obese patients with knee osteoarthritis can support wider semaglutide use, impacting companies focused on total knee replacement, a surgical solution to the problem.

The 68-week trial, funded by Novo (NVO), showed that patients who received once-weekly semaglutide at 2.4 mg witnessed an average 42-point decline on an osteoarthritis pain scale compared to an approximately 28-point drop in those on placebo.

Additionally, patients on semaglutide lost ~14% of their body weight compared to about ~3% in those on the placebo arm.

The trial was conducted in 11 countries among more than 400 patients, primarily women, who recorded an average pain score of 71 out of 100, considered to be severe pain, and had an average BMI of over 40, which indicates severe obesity. Throughout the study, all trial participants received guidance on exercise and dietary modifications in addition to semaglutide or placebo.

Concerns over how semaglutide and Lilly’s (LLY) rival weight loss therapy, tirzepatide, can impact the demand for total knee replacements have historically weighed on the outlook of companies such as J&J (JNJ), Stryker (SYK) and Zimmer Biomet (ZBH) which are exposed to that market.

Based on the latest data, a potential label expansion for Novo’s (NVO) blockbuster therapy in osteoarthritis can heighten those fears.