A finished medicine with an approval
The U.S. agency that reviews medicines is called the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA.
FDA-approved means that agency reviewed a particular product and accepted it for a named use.
FDA records checked on September 26, 2026 show that semaglutide products Ozempic and Wegovy have approvals, as do Mounjaro and Zepbound, which contain tirzepatide.
Ask which product and use the clinician has in mind. An ingredient name is only the beginning of that conversation.
A medicine made to meet a patient's need
When a pharmacist or doctor makes the medicine instead of supplying a drug maker's finished product, that is called compounding.
FDA guidance checked on September 26, 2026 describes a place for this when a patient's medical need cannot be met with an approved medicine.
Compounded products do not have FDA approval. As of September 26, 2026, the agency does not check that product's quality, safety or ability to work before sale.
As of September 26, 2026, legal compounding depends on more than a pharmacy's licence. The rules for making a medicine for one named patient require a valid prescription.
If there is a published drug standard for the ingredient, it must meet that standard. Without such a standard, the ingredient needs either a place in an approved medicine or an entry on FDA's permitted-ingredient list.
Rules also limit regularly making copies of medicines already sold. A change that makes an important difference for a named patient's care can be an exception, if the prescriber decides it does. Charging less, by itself, does not qualify for that exception.
Ask why an approved option cannot meet your need and which pharmacy would prepare the medicine. Ask the pharmacy which ingredient rule the medicine meets. Ask the prescriber what change matters for your care.
A research label is a reason to pause
FDA guidance checked on September 26, 2026 warns about weight-drug products sold for people to use despite a research label: their quality is unknown.
As of September 26, 2026, FDA says neither retatrutide nor cagrilintide has approval, and federal law does not allow compounding either one.
Keep a research product out of a comparison with prescribed care. Bring its exact name to the clinician if it prompted your search.