What does “compounded” mean?
Compounding means a pharmacy or doctor makes medicine to meet a patient’s need.
The US regulator for medicines, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), describes compounded preparations as products without its approval.
The agency has not checked such a product for quality, safe use or benefit before it is supplied.
What changed after the shortage?
The national shortage of semaglutide injections was declared resolved on February 21, 2025.
A September 26, 2026 check found no national FDA shortage listing for those injections.
The national shortage list does not change just because a nearby pharmacy has run out of semaglutide.
Does that make every compounded version illegal?
No. For a named patient, the September 26, 2026 rules limit how a doctor or pharmacy can prepare copies of medicines sold commercially. They cannot make those copies as a regular practice or in excessive amounts.
Under this copy rule, a changed medicine may be allowed if its prescriber finds a significant difference for the named patient. The question is what the change does for your care.
A lower price alone is not enough to allow the copy. This is a legal rule about making medicine, not a medical test you take.
Ask: “What change would be made for me, and why does it matter for my care? Why can’t an approved product meet that need? Which pharmacy would make it?” A general sales promise cannot answer those personal questions.
Does adding a vitamin settle it?
No. In the FDA policy checked on September 26, 2026, adding a vitamin may still leave a semaglutide medicine classed as a copy.
The FDA compares the ingredient, the strength and the way the medicine enters the body, such as an injection. The strength tells you how much medicine each dose holds. These are rules for comparing products, not laboratory tests.