ACR: Retatrutide Beneficial in Adults With Painful Knee OA, Obesity

THURSDAY, Nov. 12, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Retatrutide treatment results in significantly greater reductions in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain score and in body weight compared with placebo among adults with painful knee osteoarthritis and obesity, according to a study published online Nov. 8 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, held from Nov. 6 to 11 in Orlando, Florida.Thomas J. Schnitzer, M.D., Ph.D., from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and colleagues randomly assigned adults without diabetes who had painful knee osteoarthritis and a body mass index of at least 27 kg/m2 to receive once-weekly subcutaneous retatrutide or placebo in two phase 3 trials.Overall, 445 participants underwent randomization in TRIUMPH-4 and 574 underwent randomization in TRIUMPH 1-OA. The researchers found the mean changes in the WOMAC pain score at 68 weeks were −3.96 and −3.74 with retatrutide 9 and 12 mg, respectively, compared with −2.12 with placebo. The mean percent changes in body weight with retatrutide were −20.0 and −23.7 percent with 9 and 12 mg, respectively, compared with −4.6 percent with placebo. In TRIUMPH-1-OA, mean changes in the WOMAC pain score at 80 weeks were −3.22, −3.48, and −3.64 with 4, 9, and 12 mg, respectively, compared with −1.87 with placebo. Serious adverse events were more common with retatrutide than with placebo in both trials, and the most common adverse events were gastrointestinal."The findings are really saying for people who are overweight and have osteoarthritis, if you lose a significant amount of weight with this treatment, there is a good chance that you're going to get a meaningful reduction in your knee pain," Schnitzer said in a statement.Several authors disclosed ties to biopharmaceutical companies, including Eli Lilly, which is developing retatrutide and funded the study.Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)More Information.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

ACR: Retatrutide Beneficial in Adults With Painful Knee OA, Obesity

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