SynthesisAging clinical and experimental research2025
Comparative efficacy and safety of antidiabetic drugs for obese patients with knee osteoarthritis: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in Aging clinical and experimental research, 2025. The graph read 2 numbers from its abstract, feeding 1 cell of the map: it finds no clear difference in 1. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
In terms of safety, usual care exhibited the lowest risk of adverse events, with liraglutide (0.09, 95% CI - 0.74, 0.92) and semaglutide (0.21, 95% CI - 0.46, 0.88) also showing favorable safety profiles.
In terms of safety, usual care exhibited the lowest risk of adverse events, with liraglutide (0.09, 95% CI - 0.74, 0.92) and semaglutide (0.21, 95% CI - 0.46, 0.88) also showing favorable safety profiles.
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Where it lands on the map
Rows are treatments, columns are outcomes. The coloured squares are the cells this paper feeds, coloured by the vote it casts there. Click one to jump to what this paper adds to it.
What it adds to each cell
For every cell the paper feeds: the belief in the claim with and without this paper, and this paper's estimate drawn against every other readable study in the cell. The ringed dot is this paper.
GLP-1 receptor agonists×adverse events & safety
InconclusiveOpen on the map →What to test next →40 readable studies in this cell: 47 favour the treatment, 14 find no difference, 2 favour the comparator.
This paper's own estimate is on a different scale from the rest of the cell, so it is not drawn here.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- The central role of IL-6 in the differential effects of GLP-1 receptor agonists and metformin across multiple health conditions.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The marked sentences are the ones the graph read a number from.
backgroundObesity-related knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a significant public health concern, affecting quality of life. Recent evidence suggests some antidiabetic drugs may help manage KOA in obese patients due to their anti-inflammatory and weight-reducing effects.
objectiveThis study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of antidiabetic drugs for managing pain and adverse events in obese KOA patients through a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
methodsA systematic search of multiple databases identified relevant RCTs on antidiabetic drugs for KOA. Treatment efficacy was assessed using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain score improvement, and safety was evaluated based on the incidence of serious adverse events. The Surface Under the Cumulative Ranking Curve (SUCRA) scores were used to rank the treatments, and effect sizes were reported as mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).
resultsA total of nine RCTs were included in the analysis. For pain relief, metformin demonstrated the largest effect size with a mean difference of - 1.13 (95% CI - 1.48, - 0.78) compared to usual care, followed by Metformin-Phosphatidylcholine (MFPH) (- 0.92, 95% CI - 1.70, - 0.13) and semaglutide (- 0.90, 95% CI - 1.48, - 0.32). In terms of safety, usual care exhibited the lowest risk of adverse events, with liraglutide (0.09, 95% CI - 0.74, 0.92) and semaglutide (0.21, 95% CI - 0.46, 0.88) also showing favorable safety profiles. The SUCRA rankings further supported these findings, with metformin ranking highest for efficacy (SUCRA: 86.8%) and usual care ranking highest for safety (SUCRA: 75.7%). However, these rankings should be interpreted alongside the effect sizes and clinical context to fully assess the trade-offs between efficacy and safety across interventions.
conclusionsMetformin and MFPH are promising for managing KOA pain in obese patients. Semaglutide offers a balanced efficacy and safety profile, while liraglutide may be a safe option for selected patients. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and assess long-term outcomes.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.