Can These Weight Loss Drugs Help With RA?

In theory, GLP-1s should improve RA symptoms. Extra body fat creates additional inflammation, including joint inflammation.

But studies are needed to prove whether GLP-1s improve RA symptoms and disease activity, says Karacabeyli.

“To date, there are no full-length research articles describing changes in RA disease activity following treatment with GLP-1 receptor agonists,” he says.

RA Joint Symptoms

There’s also evidence, including a study of people with obesity and osteoarthritis knee pain published in the New England Journal of Medicine, that GLP-1s can help with other types of arthritis, says Lane.

But Lane and Karacabeyli agree that what is really needed is well-designed clinical trials in people with RA to find out if these medications truly reduce disease activity.

RA Comorbidities, Such as Heart Disease

Karacabeyli and colleagues have conducted a study (submitted for publication but not yet published) comparing GLP-1 medications with another diabetes treatment in people with immune-mediated diseases, including RA.

“A subgroup analysis revealed that GLP-1 users with RA had fewer heart attacks, strokes, and deaths from cardiovascular causes than those on a different diabetes medication. That suggests GLP-1 receptor agonists improve cardiovascular health in people with RA, just as they do in the general population,” he says.