Topic
Therapeutic peptides
The science of approved peptide medicines, and how to evaluate the claims around peptides.
This page collects every article by Dr. Damon Tojjar in this topic. For all topics see browse by topic, and for the source-anchored record see damontojjar.com/record.
Articles in this topic (13)
- The Peptide Medicines Already in the Pharmacy: An Evidence-Based Tour
Some of the most consequential medicines of the last century are peptides, and they are sitting in the pharmacy right now with full regulatory review behind them....
- Why Removing a Peptide From the FDA's Safety-Risk List Is Not the Same as Approving It
When the FDA in 2026 re-examined peptides it had placed in its Category 2 list, that action removed a specific safety flag from the substances affected. It did not...
- When the Shortage Ends, So Does the Copy: The GLP-1 Compounding Wind-Down Explained
Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide were never approved copies of Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, or Zepbound. They were legal for a specific reason: federal law...
- How to Read a Peptide Health Claim Like a Scientist
When you meet a peptide health claim, run it through four questions first. Is the peptide FDA-approved for a defined use, or is it unapproved, compounded, or sold...
- Inclisiran and the ORION Trials: What Does an LDL Surrogate Endpoint Prove?
The ORION-10 and ORION-11 phase 3 trials showed that inclisiran, a twice-yearly siRNA that silences PCSK9, lowered LDL cholesterol by roughly half compared with...
- Orforglipron: What Does the Oral GLP-1 Evidence in ATTAIN-1 Actually Show?
The short answerATTAIN-1 was a 72-week phase 3 randomized trial of orforglipron, an oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist, in 3,127 adults with obesity and...
- Approved, Compounded, or Neither: How US Law Sorts a Peptide Into Four Different Boxes
A single peptide can occupy any of four distinct legal states, and the habit of collapsing them into one question of "is it legal?" is where most confusion begins....
- Research Peptides Sold Online: What the Regulation Actually Says
Research peptides marketed online, including BPC-157 and TB-500, sit in a legal category that marketing copy rarely explains accurately. None is approved by the...
- Retatrutide Phase 2: Why a Dose-Finding Signal Is Not Approval
The 2023 phase 2 trial of retatrutide, a triple GIP, GLP-1, and glucagon receptor agonist, reported mean weight reduction near 24 percent at 48 weeks. That figure...
- SURMOUNT-1: How Do You Read a GLP-1/GIP Weight-Loss Trial?
The short versionReading a modern weight-loss trial well means separating four things that a headline collapses into one number: what the trial measured, how it...
- What Is a Peptide, Really? The Molecule Class Between Small Drugs and Proteins
A peptide is a short chain of amino acids, the same building blocks that make up proteins, linked together in a specific order. Chemists usually reserve the word...
- The Hidden Chemistry Problem: Why Peptide Impurities and Immunogenicity Drive FDA Caution
Regulators treat many peptides as higher-risk than typical small-molecule drugs because peptide chemistry invites two problems that aspirin never poses: the...
- Why 'Research Use Only' Is a Red Flag, Not a Reassurance
A label reading "research use only" or "not for human consumption" is not a quality mark, a purity guarantee, or a hint that you have found the insider's version of...