Approved drugs can be peptide medicines
FDA, the Food and Drug Administration, checks individual drug products for particular uses.
As of September 2026, approved semaglutide products include Ozempic and Wegovy; Mounjaro and Zepbound are approved tirzepatide products.
As of September 2026, FDA has approved Wegovy injections to help with weight loss and keeping weight off.
For people living with type 2 diabetes, blood-sugar control is an FDA-approved use of Ozempic injections as of September 2026.
These are examples, not a suggestion that either fits your situation. Ask why the specific product is being proposed.
A custom-made medicine needs its own explanation
A compounded medicine is prepared to order, instead of being supplied as a finished drug with FDA approval.
As of September 2026, a custom preparation may address a medical need that approved drugs cannot meet. These compounded products do not hold FDA approval.
As of September 2026, federal law restricts pharmacies and doctors from making near-copies of commercially available medicines often or in large amounts. An exception can apply when the prescriber decides that altering the medicine creates an important difference for that patient’s medical needs.
A dye allergy, for instance, may call for a medicine prepared without that dye.
As of September 2026, a lower price by itself does not meet this legal condition. This is a rule about making the medicine, not a medical test you take.
Ask what change is being made for you and why it matters for your health. Ask the person writing the prescription to put that reason in writing.
Research labels are a reason to stop and ask
In its September 2026 account, FDA warns that research-labelled weight drugs sent to consumers can have unknown quality and may cause harm.
As of September 2026, FDA states that federal compounding law does not permit retatrutide or cagrilintide.
Ask whether FDA has approved the exact medicine being offered. If the answer is yes, ask to see its FDA-approved label. If it is made to order, ask who will make it, what medical need it meets and which rule allows it to be made. Ask for those answers in writing.