On The Pen With Dave Knapp

The first ever oral option for GLP-1 medications for obesity has been approved and will hit the market in January. Dave covers everything patients need to know in this week's podcast!

Don’t miss this live conversation with Sabina from GLPwinner.com as she joins us to discuss the next legal battlefield for compounds: states. We also discuss how the federal legislation is likely a messaging bill to help advance state agendas.

In this livestream, Dave breaks down new phase 3 retatrutide data, carefully contrasting idealized trial “efficacy estimate” numbers with more realistic “treatment regimen” outcomes, and explores what this means for real-world obesity care, dosing, and future multi-pathway combinations. He then shifts to news on high-dose Wegovy, safety concerns and fast-tracking of the oral GLP-1 orforglipron, and a detailed critique of the proposed Safe Drug Act of 2025, urging viewers to oppose it via a petition at otplinks.com because of its potential impact on access to compounded obesity medications.

This week’s episode dives into one of the most exciting moments we’ve seen yet in obesity medicine. We break down brand-new data on Wave Life Sciences’ single-injection therapy—showing visceral fat loss, total fat reduction, and even increased lean muscle—marking a major shift toward “quality of weight loss,” not just the number on the scale. We also explore the latest on amylin drugs from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, updates on oral GLP-1s like orforglipron and alaniglipron, and why maintenance therapies are becoming the next big frontier. Dave also covers the ongoing counterfeit Ozempic problem and what patients need to look for. It’s a packed episode with everything you need to understand where obesity treatment is headed next.

This week’s On The Pen podcast unpacked major developments in obesity and metabolic health. New data from Harvard and Mass General suggest that nearly 70% of U.S. adults may qualify as having obesity when waist circumference is added to BMI. Dave also covered an emerging oral triple agonist with breakthrough absorption rates, promising early results from Fractal Health showing weight maintenance after GLP-1 discontinuation, and recent cash-pay price reductions for Zepbound. The episode also revisited Novo Nordisk’s Alzheimer’s trial, clarifying why the results weren’t the final word on GLP-1s in cognitive disease. Dave closed with personal insights on hunger signals after switching medications, plus updates on access, tools, and upcoming savings programs.