Can a diabetes drug ease knee pain and stave off surgery?
NCT ID NCT07065591
First seen Aug 18, 2026 · Last updated Aug 18, 2026
Summary
This trial tests whether adding metformin, a common diabetes medication, to a program of diet and exercise can reduce knee pain and improve function in overweight or obese adults with knee osteoarthritis. Participants will receive either metformin or a placebo for six months, alongside diet and exercise, and then continue with lifestyle changes alone. The study measures changes in pain, weight, and symptoms to see if this combined approach could reduce the need for knee replacement surgery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Metformin, a common diabetes drug, combined with diet modification and exercise therapy
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this combination could offer a non-surgical way to reduce knee pain and delay or avoid the need for knee replacement surgery in overweight adults with knee osteoarthritis.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-phase trial with a modest number of participants, so results may not be conclusive. Metformin can cause gastrointestinal side effects, and the benefit over diet and exercise alone is uncertain.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Maclehose Medical Rehabilitation
RECRUITINGHong Kong, Sandy Bay, 999077, Hong Kong
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