Compounded semaglutide and brand-name Wegovy: what is actually different
Compounded GLP-1 medication costs a fraction of brand-name drugs. This guide explains what compounded means, who makes it, and what changed in 2025 and 2026.
What compounded means
A compounded medication is made by a licensed pharmacy for an individual patient, from the active ingredient, rather than sold as a finished product by the drug's manufacturer. Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide contain the same active ingredients as Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound and Mounjaro, but they are not FDA-approved products and are not tested by the FDA for safety or effectiveness.
Why it exists in weight loss
During the shortages of 2022 to 2024, US rules allowed pharmacies to compound drugs that were in short supply. Telehealth companies built programs around compounded versions at $100 to $300 a month, against $1,000 or more for the brand.
What changed
The FDA declared the tirzepatide shortage over in late 2024 and the semaglutide shortage over in early 2025. Compounding "copies" of an available drug is no longer permitted in the same way. Providers responded in three ways:
- Some stopped offering compounded GLP-1s to new patients. Hims & Hers did so in March 2026 after a settlement with Novo Nordisk.
- Some continued with versions that differ from the brand product (different dose forms, added ingredients, microdosing), relying on exceptions for individualised prescriptions.
- Some switched to selling brand-name drugs through the manufacturers' direct cash programs, at $199 to $499 a month depending on dose.
What it means for your choice
Brand-name means an FDA-approved product, a known manufacturer and a higher price. Compounded means a lower price, a pharmacy you should be able to name, and a regulatory position that has been changing. On each provider page we state which type is offered and the pharmacy the provider discloses, where it discloses one.
This guide is information, not medical advice. Whether either option is appropriate for you is a question for the prescribing clinician.
Last reviewed October 15, 2026. Information, not medical advice.