Weight-loss drug ecnoglutide takes aim at knee osteoarthritis pain
NCT ID NCT07734311
First seen Jul 29, 2026 · Last updated Sep 01, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This phase 3 trial tests whether ecnoglutide, a GLP-1 drug similar to semaglutide, can reduce knee pain and body weight in obese adults with knee osteoarthritis. Participants receive either ecnoglutide injections or a placebo for several months. The study measures changes in pain scores and weight loss percentages.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- an experimental GLP-1 drug called ecnoglutide
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new treatment that eases knee pain and helps with weight loss for people with obesity-related osteoarthritis.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-phase trial, so the drug may not prove effective or could cause side effects like nausea or gastrointestinal issues.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
-
About 360 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Aug 2026
- Expected to finish
-
Jun 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 to 75 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Body mass index (BMI) ≥ 28.0 kg/m\^2; 2. The target knee must meet the diagnostic criteria of American College of Rheumatology (ACR) for knee osteoarthritis (clinical and radiological), with moderate radiographic changes (Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2 or 3). The target knee is defined as the knee with the most symptomatic knee at screening period; if pain in both knees are equal, the target knee will be the most dominant leg (preferred leg); 3. Prior to screening, target knee pain lasting more than 12 weeks, and according to participant's self-report or medical history at screening, target knee pain lasting more than 15 days in the past month; 4. At screening and prior to randomization, WOMAC pain score (NRS 0-10) of the target knee must be between 4 and 9 (to avoid bias in reporting, participants must not be informed of the pain score used to determine eligibility for the study); 5. Self-reported by the participant who has a history of unsuccessful weight loss attempt by diet and exercise. Exclusion Criteria: 1. The target knee has undergone joint replacement surgery; 2. The target knee has undergone arthroscopy within 12 months prior to screening; 3. At the time of screening, the target knee joint has any clinical features and symptoms of other active infections or crystal-induced arthropathies, as well as any other active joint diseases that may interfere with assessment; 4. The target knee has received intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid, any other investigational drugs, or biologics within 3 months prior to screening; or has undergone any procedures that result in persistent sensory loss in the target knee (e.g., ablation) within 6 months prior to screening; 5. Has received any intramuscular or oral corticosteroids (investigational or marketed) within 30 days prior to screening, or has received any intra-articular corticosteroid injections (investigational or marketed) in any joint within 90 days prior to screening; 6. History of joint instability in either knee within 12 months prior to screening, such as anterior cruciate ligament rupture or recent trauma; 7. History of any other potentially causative and/or confounding diseases, including Reiter's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, inflammatory bowel disease-associated arthritis, sarcoidosis, amyloidosis, or fibromyalgia; 8. Presence of symptomatic hip osteoarthritis at the time of screening, with the exception of those who have undergone hip replacement surgery; 9. Conditions that may interfere with the assessment of target knee pain during screening include, but are not limited to: * Pain in any part of the lower limb or back equal to or more severe than the pain in the target knee; * Pain radiating to the knee from other areas, such as hip pain affecting the knee or radicular pain; * Chronic widespread pain (including neuropathic pain); 10. Change of body weight \>5% within 3 months prior to screening (selfreported); 11. Diagnosis of diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes), or with a history of diabetic ketoacidosis or hyperosmolar state/coma
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Knee osteoarthritis are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
RECRUITINGWuhan, Hubei, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Custom knee guides put to the test in obese patients
- Can a shot of your own blood ease arthritic knees?
- 5,000 knee arthritis patients tracked to crack the treatment code
- A pill for obesity? early human trial puts MDR-001 to the test
- Can a weekly shot help people who still struggle with weight after bariatric surgery?
- Do GLP-1 Weight-Loss drugs change how teens eat and feel?