10:1 Risk/Reward: 3 Drug Monopolies Built for Massive Upside

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Feb 16, 2026

Dave Lashmet, editor who hunts small‑cap biopharma winners, breaks down three drug monopolies built for massive upside. He highlights a GLP‑1 weight‑loss pill that doubles as diabetes therapy. He explains a fatty‑liver pill whose market is protected by liver irreplaceability. He profiles an MC4R hunger‑switch therapy that could disrupt current treatments.

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ANECDOTE

Caught 700 Doctors In Line — Realization Moment

Dave spotted a crowd of ~700 doctors at a Novo Nordisk session in 2019 and realized something big was happening with Ozempic.
That observation launched his early coverage of GLP-1s and their weight-loss potential.

INSIGHT

Maintenance Pill Solves Rebound Weight Gain

Injectable GLP-1 users often stop after ~1 year and rapidly regain weight once they stop.
A once-daily oral maintenance pill can prevent rebound and become a long-term therapy.

INSIGHT

Small Molecule Economics Give Lilly Edge

Small-molecule pills cost far less to manufacture than protein injectables and can be priced profitably at scale.
Eli Lilly's chemical pill could undercut protein-based competitors and capture massive margins and market share.

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In this week's Stansberry Investor Hour, Dan and John Engel welcome Dave Lashmet to the show. Dave is the editor of Stansberry Venture Technology, an advisory that takes a "venture capitalist" look at the market. Dave scours the market looking for little-known small-cap companies that are potentially producing the next wonder drug or technology.

Dave kicks things off by discussing the first of three biopharmaceutical companies he's sharing that have monopolies in weight-loss drugs. He starts by showing how drugs gain their monopolies via patents, giving them "economic exclusivity." While companies might be targeting the same patients, the patents influence how they're being treated. The first company gains an edge by not only targeting folks suffering from obesity, but also by treating those with Type 2 diabetes. Dave also explains the contrast in mentality between the U.S. and other countries regarding obesity being preventable. And he provides info showing how obesity is a "slippery slope" and shares that a study found that participants who got off the drug gained back the weight they lost before. (0:00)

Next, Dave sums up how the first company has cleared all of the risks and expenses from clinical trials, while a close competitor still has to get past its trials due to unknown side effects. When asked about why folks would stay on a weight-loss pill for life, Dave points to how our culture has drastically changed over the years, from actively working on farms to passively working in cubicles. These drugs help balance out the resulting shift. Dave then transitions into the next company that has a drug that focuses on fatty liver disease. He explains how this distinction helps the company gain its monopoly due to how irreplaceable livers are. And similar to the first company, this drug will have lifelong consumers. And the good news for investors is that its only competitor causes weight gain. (21:49)

Finally, Dave presents the final company that tackles weight loss by focusing on genetics. Unlike the first two companies, this one treats patients with an injectable drug rather than a pill. However, it zeroes in on our natural "hunger switch," suppressing the users' appetites. Right now, the company is only waiting to get past trials, which puts it at a disadvantage compared with the other two. But Dave still believes that because of how it works, it's still set to stand beside the two pills. (39:44)