Articles
Signed commentary on recent trials and review articles. Reference-style long-form pieces appear on peptidehackerlab.com.
Tesamorelin and Frailty in Older Adults With HIV: What the TRIUMPH Trial Is Testing
The newly published TRIUMPH protocol describes an already-running, recruiting Phase 2 trial of tesamorelin as an adjunct to exercise. Its central question is functional: can the intervention improve chair stands, walking, strength, and frailty measures beyond exercise alone?
Tirzepatide's Dopamine Question in Alcohol Use Disorder
A new NIAAA-sponsored Phase 1b trial will use PET/MRI to directly measure dopamine receptor availability in people with alcohol use disorder before and after tirzepatide. The preclinical rationale is solid, but the clinical translation question has not been answered for any dual GIP/GLP-1 agonist.
Tirzepatide Muscle Loss Is the Wrongly Framed Question
The recruiting GRAMS trial is not a result. It is a better question. By measuring DXA fat-free mass, thigh MRI muscle quality, and bone turnover markers, NCT07154719 can clarify what the GLP-1 body-composition debate keeps flattening.
Senolytics for the Aging Eye: The Evidence Is Mostly Mice
A new review in Biogerontology places senolytic agents alongside gene editing and stem cells as high-priority interventions for AMD, cataracts, and dry eye. The mechanistic case is solid. The clinical evidence for the eye specifically is almost entirely preclinical, and that gap matters.
Semaglutide on TikTok: Popularity Doesn't Track Quality
A cross-platform study of 200 semaglutide videos on TikTok and Bilibili finds that user engagement metrics are nearly useless as a proxy for information quality. The implication for public health is uncomfortable: the platforms' own ranking logic actively undermines health literacy.
Tirzepatide Raises Calcitonin Modestly, MTC Remains Unproven
A Greek research group reports short-term serum calcitonin changes on tirzepatide in adults with obesity. The elevations fit the known pharmacology, but no MTC cases have appeared in any trial. The question is not whether calcitonin rises. It does. The question is whether that rise means anything clinically.
Tirzepatide's UK Cost-Effectiveness Case Gets Stronger, With Caveats
New Eli Lilly-sponsored economic modelling in J Med Econ finds all three tirzepatide doses cost-effective in the UK at under £10,157 per QALY gained. The methodology is genuinely improved — but the funding structure deserves scrutiny before NHS policy leans on these numbers.