Twelve thousand researchers. Hundreds of presentations. Five studies that matter.

Dr. Clete Barrick breaks down the most important GLP-1 research presented at the European Congress on Obesity 2026 in Istanbul, and what each finding means for patients on Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound right now.

He covers the new higher-dose Wegovy data (7.2 mg), the maintenance dosing trial Zepbound patients have been waiting for, what happens when you switch from an injection to an oral pill, the real-world data showing half of patients quit before they get the benefit, and the Viking Therapeutics oral pill that may compete with injectable tirzepatide by 2028.

Each study gets the same three-beat treatment: what happened, why you should care, and what you should do about it.

In this episode:

• STEP UP: Wegovy 7.2 mg delivers 20.7% weight loss, with responders hitting 27.7%
• Medicare BRIDGE program adding Wegovy 7.2 on July 1
• SURMOUNT-MAINTAIN: 5 mg tirzepatide as a legitimate maintenance dose
• Why the dose ladder mental model is wrong
• ATTAIN-MAINTAIN: Switching from Wegovy to oral orforglipron (Foundayo) vs. switching from Zepbound
• Why the GIP receptor matters when you change medications
• Wilding real-world data: 50% discontinuation, dose-dependent metabolic benefits
• The most important variable in GLP-1 treatment (it's not which drug)
• Viking VK2735: 12.2% loss in 13 weeks from an oral dual agonist
• What the pill landscape looks like in 2028

New episodes weekly. Subscribe and visit barrickhealth.com for physician-led GLP-1 care.

Everything discussed in this episode is education, not medical advice for your specific situation. Talk to your prescriber before making changes to your treatment.

LINKS

barrickhealth.com https://www.youtube.com/@BarrickHealth

TAGS/KEYWORDS

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ECO 2026, European Congress on Obesity, STEP UP trial, Wegovy 7.2, SURMOUNT-MAINTAIN, tirzepatide maintenance dose, Zepbound maintenance, ATTAIN-MAINTAIN, orforglipron, Foundayo, Viking VK2735, VENTURE-2, Wilding real-world data, GLP-1 discontinuation, GLP-1 news, oral GLP-1 pill, Medicare BRIDGE program, semaglutide vs tirzepatide, dual agonist, GIP receptor, obesity medicine, Dr. Clete Barrick, Straight Shot podcast

REFERENCES CITED

• STEP UP trial. Higher-dose semaglutide 7.2 mg for obesity. Presented at European Congress on Obesity (ECO) 2026, Istanbul. Novo Nordisk.
• Wadden TA, et al. Tirzepatide for maintenance of weight reduction (SURMOUNT-MAINTAIN). The Lancet. 2026.
• ATTAIN-MAINTAIN trial. Transition from injectable semaglutide or tirzepatide to oral orforglipron. Presented at ECO 2026, Istanbul. Eli Lilly.
• Wilding JPH, et al. Real-world discontinuation and metabolic outcomes of GLP-1 receptor agonists in 90,000 patients (UK/EU). Presented at ECO 2026, Istanbul.
• VENTURE-2 trial. Phase 2 results for oral dual GLP-1/GIP agonist VK2735. Presented at ECO 2026, Istanbul. Viking Therapeutics.
• Medicare BRIDGE Program formulary update, effective July 1, 2026.

There are now two FDA-approved GLP-1 pills for weight loss, and they are not the same drug. Dr. Clete Barrick (board-certified in internal medicine and obesity medicine) breaks down the side-by-side: the chemistry, the dosing rules, the weight loss data, the side effects, the cost, and which patient profile fits each pill.

What you'll learn:
- Why Foundayo (orforglipron) and oral Wegovy (semaglutide 25 mg) are pharmacologically different drugs, not just two brands of the same thing
- The morning ritual oral Wegovy requires and why pharmacokinetic studies say you can't cheat it
- Trial weight loss numbers from ATTAIN-1 (Foundayo) and OASIS 4 (oral Wegovy) and what the 1.2-point gap actually means in real life
- The side effect paradox: lower nausea on Foundayo but higher discontinuation at the top dose
- May 2026 self-pay and insured pricing through LillyDirect and NovoCare
- The patient profiles where each pill is the right answer, and the case where a needle is still better than a pill

Timestamps:
0:00 — Opening
0:45 — Welcome to Straight Shot
1:00 — Why this matters now
2:30 — Shot 1: The chemistry
4:45 — Shot 2: How you take each pill
7:00 — Shot 3: How much weight comes off
9:15 — Shot 4: The side effect paradox
11:30 — GLP-1 Bible pre-order
12:00 — Shot 5: What you'll actually pay
13:00 — The Straight Shot
14:30 — Wrap & subscribe

Studies and sources referenced:
- Wharton S, Aronne LJ, Stefanski A, et al. Orforglipron, an Oral Small-Molecule GLP-1 Receptor Agonist for Obesity Treatment (ATTAIN-1). NEJM. 2025;393(18):1796-1806.
- Wharton S, Lingvay I, Bogdanski P, et al. Oral semaglutide at a dose of 25 mg in adults with overweight or obesity (OASIS 4). NEJM. 2025;393(11):1077-1087.
- Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Calanna S, et al. Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity (STEP 1). NEJM. 2021;384(11):989-1002.
- Buckley ST et al. Transcellular stomach absorption of a derivatized GLP-1 receptor agonist. Sci Transl Med. 2018;10(467):eaar7047.
- Granhall C et al. Safety and pharmacokinetics of single and multiple ascending doses of oral semaglutide. Clin Pharmacokinet. 2019;58(6):781-791.
- Foundayo (orforglipron) Prescribing Information. Eli Lilly. April 2026.
- Wegovy (semaglutide tablets) Prescribing Information. Novo Nordisk. December 2025.
- Eli Lilly. ATTAIN-MAINTAIN press release, December 18, 2025.
- LillyDirect Foundayo pricing, April 2026.
- NovoCare Wegovy pricing, April 2026.

Resources:
- Pre-order The GLP-1 Bible: barrickhealth.com
- Book a 1-on-1 consult with Dr. Barrick: barrickhealth.com
- YouTube: @BarrickHealth
- Reddit: u/CleteBarrickMD

Disclaimer: This episode is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.

A new study in Nature Health used AI to scan over 400,000 Reddit posts from 67,000 GLP-1 users and uncovered side effects that aren't on the label. Fox News, CNN, and Medscape ran the same headline: "hidden side effects doctors are missing."

Dr. Clete Barrick, board-certified in internal medicine and obesity medicine, prescribes these medications every day and takes tirzepatide himself. In this episode, he walks through what the University of Pennsylvania researchers actually found, why the methodology matters, and where every headline got it wrong.

You'll hear the truth about the 13% psychiatric symptom finding, why menstrual changes and cold sensitivity aren't "hidden" at all, and the real story buried under the clickbait: the system for catching side effects is broken. Includes counter-data from The Lancet Psychiatry and Nature Medicine showing GLP-1s are associated with lower mental health risk, not higher.

If you want a physician who actually monitors all of this, book a free consult at barrickhealth.com. Subscribe for weekly evidence-based GLP-1 content from a doctor who's been on the medication.

YouTube: youtube.com/@BarrickHealth