Check the product, the form, and the shortage claim.
A familiar ingredient name can appear in very different offers. Ask for each medicine’s name, form, strength, and ingredients before comparing them.
Facts checked as of September 26, 2026.
A familiar name versus an exact product
Recognising a name
As of September 26, 2026, semaglutide products approved by FDA included Ozempic and Wegovy; tirzepatide products approved by FDA included Mounjaro and Zepbound. a
Medicine products are reviewed by FDA, short for Food and Drug Administration.
The brand name alone still leaves questions about the form and intended use.
Checking the exact medicine
Ask whether the proposed medicine is an approved ready-made product or one made to order.
Compounded means made to order, and those medicines do not have FDA approval. b
An approved copy of a brand-name product is called a generic medicine.
As of September 26, 2026, no generic of semaglutide or tirzepatide had FDA approval allowing it to be sold in the US.
Local stock trouble versus a national shortage
A local problem
A local pharmacy’s lack of stock is separate from a national shortage recorded by FDA. c
Ask which official listing an offer is relying on.
The dated national record
FDA’s shortage list had no entry for semaglutide injections or tirzepatide as of September 26, 2026. c
When semaglutide and tirzepatide were in short supply nationally, the shortage rules allowed pharmacies to make copies of those medicines.
The makers still had to meet the other rules for medicines made to order.
That older shortage story does not establish permission for an offer now.
Adding a vitamin does not settle the copying question
As of September 26, 2026, FDA said a compounded product with an added vitamin might still be essentially a copy of an available medicine. c
FDA compares a medicine with an available product for the same main drug ingredient, similar strength, and a matching way of taking the medicine.
That is what “essentially a copy” refers to here. Federal law limits making those copies regularly or in large amounts.
Ask what change meets your own medical need. Ask how the person writing the prescription wrote down why that change matters for you.
Ask for the explanation rather than accepting a blend name as proof.
A shortage explanation needs a current record and a clear account of the proposed product.
Understand medicines made to order