GLP-1s Over the Counter

Predictions and a Little Bathroom Humor

Originally posted on obesity.news on January 20th, 2026

This episode isn’t really about OTC GLP-1s, it’s about pattern recognition. After 3 solid years studying this industry, Dave recognizes the early signals: deals are made, pharma speaks, regulation moves, and patients benefit.

The Zepbound vial story serves as context. It’s less “I told you so” and more “this is how these shifts actually happen.” What’s changing isn’t just access, it’s tone. The conversation feels less moralized, less dramatic, and more… administrative. That may sound boring, but boring is often where real systemic change starts.

Rather than reacting to one headline, Dave connects dots across regulation, pricing, language, and timing. It feels like a pause in the daily news cycle to ask: what direction are we actually moving in? The answer isn’t definitive, but the direction feels clearer than it did a year ago.

That tone reinforces why OTP feels less like commentary and more like a shared record of what’s unfolding.

At one point, Dave made a comparison of oral GLP-1 drugs with older over-the-counter weight-loss drugs like Alli by reading through the official list of side effects. The side effects of old drugs were not subtle, not rare, and for many, an ongoing awareness of restroom proximity.

If you’d like a reminder of what “predictable and self-limiting” actually felt like in practice, you’ll have to go listen to Dave as he provides a helpful jog of the memory… many of the bathroom variety. He asks for your stories on the podcast but do we really want them? I remember mine! (insert a melting face emoji)

One of the quieter takeaways is how normalized obesity treatment is starting to feel. Less spectacle. Less justification. More infrastructure. That shift alone may be one of the most meaningful changes underway.

If you think OTC GLPs are coming, comment below and let us know what your prediction is.

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