Works in Progress Podcast

Are miracle drugs hiding in plain sight?

20 snips
Jul 24, 2026
They explore how GLP-1 drugs moved from Gila monster venom to medicines for weight and diabetes and whether they could help heart, kidney, sleep, or brain diseases. They survey famous repurposings like Viagra, thalidomide, and Botox and ask how many other medicines hide extra uses. They dive into why repurposing often goes untested and what policy or trial designs might change that.
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INSIGHT

New Peptides Produce Huge Percent Weight Loss

  • Next-generation peptides raised average weight loss dramatically: semaglutide ~15%, tirzepatide ~21%, and retatrutide reported ~28% at top dose in phase 3.
  • Jacob and Saloni stress these are 12–18 month results and often require ongoing dosing to maintain weight loss.
INSIGHT

GLP-1 Benefits Could Be Indirect Via Weight Loss

  • Many GLP-1 trials test secondary outcomes (kidney, heart, sleep apnea) largely in people with obesity or diabetes, so benefits may be mediated by weight and glycemic improvements.
  • Direct effects in non-obese, non-diabetic populations remain uncertain and early Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s trials have been null so far.
ANECDOTE

Liraglutide Cut Mortality Comparable To Statins

  • Liraglutide faced cardiovascular safety requirements and trials demonstrated it reduced heart attacks and overall mortality by ~12% in obese patients.
  • Saloni compares that magnitude to statins, highlighting substantial population-level mortality impact.
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