Approved products
An approved medicine has a defined use.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees drugs in the US.
FDA approval concerns a specific product and its named uses.
Approved uses of semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) include treating type 2 diabetes with Ozempic and managing weight with Wegovy, alongside diet and activity. These approvals were checked September 26, 2026.
Approved uses of tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) include treating type 2 diabetes with Mounjaro and managing weight with Zepbound, alongside diet and activity. These approvals were checked on the same date.
An approval for one product does not cover every peptide.
Medicines made to order
Compounding serves a patient’s need.
Compounding means making a medicine for a patient’s medical need or changing a medicine to meet that need.
FDA has not approved these made-to-order medicines as of September 26, 2026.
The agency does not check their quality, whether they work, or their safety before they reach patients.
FDA describes compounding as an option for a medical need that the approved medicine cannot meet.
Ask what need makes a pharmacy-made version appropriate in your case.
Copies of weight medicines
A past shortage does not settle today’s offer.
A drug shortage is an FDA listing for the whole country; one local pharmacy running out of a medicine is a separate issue.
Neither tirzepatide injections nor semaglutide injections appear on FDA’s shortage list as of September 26, 2026.
The law bars pharmacies from routinely making copies of a medicine already sold by a drug company, or making those copies in excessive amounts.
A change made for one named patient must matter for that person’s medical need. The person issuing the prescription must judge that this change makes an important difference. A lower price alone does not count.
For example, a patient could be allergic to a dye that the ready-made medicine contains.
Ask which change your medical need calls for and why the ready-made version falls short.
Research chemicals
A research label does not establish approval.
As of September 26, 2026, FDA says federal law forbids using retatrutide or cagrilintide to make compounded medicines.
FDA also says neither medicine has been shown safe and effective in treating any health condition.
When weight-loss products bear research labels yet are promoted for human use, FDA urges people to avoid them. Their quality is unknown.
Online prescribing
The location of the visit matters.
Telehealth provides care by video, over the phone, or through exchanges online.
The federal government keeps special track of some drugs because they can be misused. These are called controlled drugs. Semaglutide and tirzepatide are outside that group.
For medicines outside that group, federal law does not require a visit in person before the first prescription. This rule was checked September 26, 2026.
State rules still decide who can write a prescription and how your health problem must be checked.
Ask whether your first visit can be online under your state’s rules. For that visit, ask if the person providing care has permission to treat you in the state where you will be.