The weight loss drug Ozempic may help to reduce the risk of infection in people undergoing a hip replacement, new findings suggest.
The study also found that the drug could lower the risk of the patient being re-admitted to hospital.
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The findings came about after doctors at a New York City looked at the data on almost 9,500 people with diabetes who had undergone a hip replacement, many of whom also had obesity.
Just over 1,600 of the patient group took Ozempic.
The team found that use of Ozempic – a brand name for semaglutide – was linked to a 44% reduction in the risk of infection in the newly implanted joint.
Taking the drug was also linked to 32% lower odds of the patient needing to be readmitted to hospital.
They did not find any increased risk of complications, post-surgery.
Another study provides further evidence that semaglutide is safe when it comes to patients having a hip replacement.
A study of complication rates among just over 1,200 people who had a hip replacement – half of whom were taking Wegovy, another brand name for Semaglutide – found the drug did not increase their risk in areas including infection, lung or heart complications or death.
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However, study leader of the Ozempic research, Dr Matthew Magruder of Maimonides Medical Center in New York, urged caution around the findings, saying: “At this time, we do not have enough evidence to definitely recommend starting GLP-1 agonists like semaglutide prior to total hip replacement.
“We need high quality, prospective, randomized controlled trials to definitively make that recommendation.”
