An analysis of 150,000 patients suggests an approximately 50% increase in the risk of tendon rupture in people taking this medication.
“Patients will think twice before taking a drug of this type.” An American study presented in March 2026 at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) conference draws attention to the side effects of a drug widely used in the United States as well as in France.
According to ANSM data, around 870,000 French patients use it daily. This treatment is so popular that numerous studies are being carried out around the world to study its long-term effects. This is the case of an analysis carried out by the team of Jad Lawand, a medical student at the University of Texas, on nearly 150,000 patients. These researchers carried out a retrospective analysis using electronic medical records, drawing on a large health database covering five years of follow-up. The objective was to observe, over this period, the occurrence of tendon ruptures. And this is what was observed.
According to their results, people exposed to the treatment have an approximately 50% higher risk of tendon ruptures than those who are not. “Your overall risk is less than 1% for most of these tears but it is 1.5 times higher than in patients who do not take these medications” said the author. His team recorded: 2.4% rotator cuff tears in exposed obese patients compared to 1.5% in others (i.e. a risk multiplied by 1.55), 0.3% compared to 0.2% for the Achilles tendon, and 0.8% compared to 0.5% for the pectoralis major. In patients with both type 2 diabetes and obesity, use of the drug was associated with higher rates of ruptures of the rotator cuff, peroneal tendon, pectoralis major, Achilles tendon, and quadriceps tendon.
Why look at the effects in obese and/or diabetic patients? Because these are the two main targets of the drug in question, namely GLP-1 receptor agonists. Among these treatments: Ozempic®, Wegovy®, Victoza® or Trulicity®, medications widely prescribed for diabetes and, more recently, for weight loss. These treatments mimic a natural hormone, GLP-1, which acts on the body by reducing appetite, slowing stomach emptying and improving blood sugar regulation. They make you lose weight, of course, but could harm the tendons.
According to Jad Lawand, in Medscape, “These results warrant prospective evaluation of potential musculoskeletal adverse effects of GLP-1 agonists”. Scientists hypothesize that people who lose weight quickly while taking such a drug begin to do more physical activity. Gold, “if they do not follow a supervised physical activity program, this can lead to breakups” explained the expert.
“GLP-1s are very common, and we don’t know much about them, so it’s important that people are informed about the potential side effects”for his part reacted Dr. Alexander Sah, of the Institute for Joint Restoration in Fremont, California. For him, patients who take other medications that could weaken the tendons should be aware of the potential side effects of GLP-1 and not combine them. Also be careful if there is a family history of tendon injuries or tears.
