Make sense of the names
The hormone GLP-1 carries a chemical message that helps the body regulate appetite and blood sugar. Semaglutide and tirzepatide are medicine ingredient names. Their approved brands include semaglutide (Ozempic for type 2 diabetes, Wegovy for weight loss) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes, Zepbound for weight loss). These are some of their approved uses, checked September 26, 2026.
- Ask which exact product is being proposed.
- Ask why it is being prescribed and where that use appears in the product information.
Old shortage claims need a date
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) keeps the national drug shortage record. That record affects the compounding rules.
- At the September 26, 2026 check, semaglutide injections and tirzepatide were absent from FDA’s shortage list.
- A medicine on FDA’s national shortage list can be copied under compounding rules that apply during shortages. Your local pharmacy running out does not, by itself, give a pharmacy permission to make a copy (September 26, 2026).
- Adding a vitamin to the same medicine can still count as making a copy. The legal restrictions on copying an available approved medicine can still apply (September 26, 2026).
Be precise about “generic”
A medicine called a generic is a version of a branded medicine that has approval.
- There was no generic semaglutide or tirzepatide cleared for U.S. sale as of September 26, 2026.
- Liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda) has approved generics, including versions with a weight-management use; approval alone does not establish shelf availability (September 26, 2026).
- Ask whether “generic” is being used for an approved product or for a compounded preparation.
- Ask for the document supporting the answer.