CHICAGO -- The GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) was associated with a 15% lower risk for fractures in adults with type 2 diabetes, a review of medical records found.
In a matched analysis involving more than 35,000 patients, fractures occurred in 4.54% of semaglutide users over roughly 3.5 years of follow-up compared with 5.97% of those taking other diabetes or obesity medications (HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.77-0.93, P<0.001), reported Sun Kim, MD, of Stanford University School of Medicine in California.
The findings are "reassuring," Kim said at ENDO 2026, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, "but it would be exciting if these medications were truly bone protective."
Semaglutide users in the study also had greater yearly reductions in body mass index (BMI) versus the control group (mean 1-year BMI difference -0.72, P<0.001), which included patients receiving the GLP-1 agonist dulaglutide (Trulicity) or the weight-loss medications phentermine-topiramate (Qsymia) or bupropion-naltrexone (Contrave).
Patients with type 2 diabetes carry an elevated risk for fracture despite having normal or even high bone mineral density, said Kim. Furthermore, while weight loss is a fundamental treatment goal for these patients, it traditionally leads to bone loss due to mechanical unloading.
