As the popularity of GLP-1 weight loss medications, including Ozempic and Wegovy, continues to grow nationwide, orthopedic surgeons have had mixed feelings about what it will do to surgical volumes.
While some surgeons believe that GLP-1s will lead to an increase in joint replacements due to high-BMI patients losing enough weight to be eligible, others believe that as patients are healthier, they will need fewer surgeries.
A June report from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons highlighted some unanticipated impacts of GLP-1s on joint patients, including effects on joints and arthritis.
Evidence indicated that GLP-1 medications can improve knee pain and function outside of the reduction in symptoms from weight loss alone. Evidence also indicates that GLP-1 medications may slow joint structural changes. Patients receiving a GLP-1 agonist saw greater improvements in pain and function than patients treated with weight loss alone.
A recent survey by Zimmer Biomet indicated that some obese patients may be eligible for surgery following weight loss due to the use of GLP-1 medications, but respondents did not feel that these medications would slow the need for surgery in patients with hip and knee arthritis.
Zimmer Biomet's analysis showed that 16% of obese patients who were undergoing total knee arthroplasty were utilizing GLP-1 medications, compared with just 4% in 2019.
"We don’t anticipate the weight-loss drug having a negative impact. Actually, we think it’s going to help with implant volumes. There are a large percentage of candidates that are too high (in body mass) to have surgery," Lisa Kloes, general manager and vice president of Stryker’s knee business, told AAOS.