Arthritis Research Canada Review Points to Potential Benefits of Weight Loss Medications for People Living with Arthritis & Obesity

Vancouver (September 10, 2025) – Arthritis Research Canada review finds weight loss medications may hold wide-ranging benefits for people living with arthritis and obesity, identifying a need for further research.

For people with arthritis, extra body fat is associated with elevated risk of cardiovascular disease – including heart attacks, strokes and blood clots – as well as greater inflammation and pain, and worse response to treatments.

“Because of the impact of obesity on health outcomes in patients with rheumatic diseases, exploring the effects of weight loss interventions, including medications, in this group of people is crucial,” said Dr. Derin Karacabeyli, a rheumatologist, obesity medicine specialist, and research trainee at Arthritis Research Canada.

Intentional weight loss through diet changes or bariatric surgery has been shown to improve pain and disease control in common types of arthritis, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis. More research is needed to explore if medication-assisted weight loss could be similarly beneficial for people with rheumatic diseases.

This review summarized what is known about the effects of weight-lowering medications in people with rheumatic diseases. It highlighted factors clinicians should consider when prescribing these medications as well as potential benefits for people living with rheumatic diseases.

“This review shows that more clinical research is needed to fully understand the impact of medications that can complement health behaviour changes to facilitate weight loss,” Dr. Karacabeyli said. “There are many medications that can help with weight loss, and each has its own potential benefits and risks. It is therefore important for clinicians to carefully review a patient’s history to ensure that medication recommendations are tailored to maximize potential benefit and minimize risk.”

Some medications that were originally developed for diabetes facilitate weight loss, and research suggests they might have secondary benefits for people living with various rheumatic diseases. For example, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs, like semaglutide (Ozempic)) and metformin improve pain in osteoarthritis and may prevent the need for knee replacement surgery. Other research suggests that sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2is, like empagliflozin (Jardiance)) likely lower risk of gout attacks. While limited, emerging clinical data on GLP-1RAs, metformin, and SGLT2 is in other rheumatic diseases are promising.

To read the full review, please click here.

To learn more about Arthritis Research Canada’s research on arthritis and weight management, please click here.  

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Arthritis Research Canada is the largest clinical arthritis research institution in North America. Our mission is to transform the lives of people impacted by arthritis through patient-centred research and engagement. Arthritis Research Canada’s scientific director, Dr. Diane Lacaille, leads a team of over 100 researchers, trainees and staff whose life-changing research is creating a future where people with arthritis have the knowledge and tools to triumph over pain and disability. Arthritis Research Canada is now conducting arthritis research from coast to coast with centres in British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, and Nova Scotia and scientists affiliated with ten major Canadian universities: University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, University of Calgary, University of Alberta, Western University, Université Laval, McGill University, Université de Montréal, Université de Sherbrooke and Dalhousie University. Arthritis Research Canada is leading research aimed at preventing arthritis, facilitating early diagnosis, finding new and better treatments, and improving quality of life.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Heather Caulder
Senior Officer, Marketing and Communications
Arthritis Research Canada
604.207.4010
hcaulder@arthritisresearch.ca