A page uses several weight-medicine names as if they all mean the same thing. Separate the ingredient from the finished product.
Match the ingredient to the product
FDA is the federal medicine agency, short for Food and Drug Administration.
Ozempic and Wegovy are two FDA-approved medicines containing semaglutide, as of September 2026.
Tirzepatide is the ingredient in two others: Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and Zepbound for weight management.
GLP-1 is one of the body’s chemical messengers, or hormones, involved in hunger and blood sugar; GLP-1 medicines work on that system.
As of September 2026, Ozempic is approved to help adults with type 2 diabetes manage blood sugar.
Wegovy’s approved uses include reducing weight and keeping it off, as of September 2026.
The Ozempic and Wegovy names both cover semaglutide tablets and injections, as of September 2026.
Each finished medicine has its own approved uses. Sharing an ingredient does not mean two medicines are approved for the same health problem.
Check claims about copies
A generic name is the ingredient name, such as semaglutide. A generic medicine is an FDA-approved copy of a brand-name medicine.
A compounded medicine is prepared to order.
As of September 2026, no approved generic semaglutide or tirzepatide product can be marketed in the United States.
An FDA-listed national shortage can allow pharmacies to make copies while the shortage lasts.
FDA’s September 2026 list no longer marks semaglutide or tirzepatide injections as being in shortage.
The extra time FDA gave compounders before enforcing the shortage-related rules has also ended.
Your pharmacy running out of stock does not put the medicine on FDA’s national shortage list or bring back permission to make copies.
Adding a vitamin to the same or a very similar injection is not enough by itself to allow a copy, as of September 2026.
The person writing your prescription must document a change that makes a significant medical difference for you personally.
Some made-to-order medicine can still be allowed for a personal medical need; these rules do not forbid all compounding.
A new name is not a new approval
In September 2026, retatrutide still has no approval in the United States.
FDA says federal law forbids compounding retatrutide or cagrilintide, as of September 2026.
- Which exact product and form are proposed?
- Which approved use is relevant to my concern?
- If it is compounded, what specific medical difference is documented?
Source note: the copy rules are dated; a stock problem and a national shortage are different.
FDA: concerns and product status ↗FDA: shortage and copy rules ↗FDA: semaglutide product label ↗