Medicine desk
Check the product, not the buzzword.
An approval question needs the proposed medicine’s name and form. Ask for those words before trying to judge an offer.
Prices and rules can change. Open ‘Check the source’ below each section to find the date for its facts.
Some names belong to approved products
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves drug products for particular uses.
Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) has approved injection and tablet products. Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) has approved injection products.
Keep the brand, ingredient, and form together when asking about the product.
Check the source
Semaglutide approval; Tirzepatide approval: checked September 26, 2026.
FDA approval records (data)Approval is for a particular use
The approved uses differ between products, even when they share an ingredient. The uses can also change when the FDA updates an approval.
Ask which use fits the health problem being discussed. A familiar name is not an explanation of that fit.
Check the source
Semaglutide approval; Tirzepatide approval: checked September 26, 2026.
FDA approval records (data)Other search terms do not have that status
BPC-157 and ipamorelin are ingredient names seen in online peptide offers. The FDA approval records checked on September 26, 2026 showed no approved US medicine with either ingredient.
Retatrutide and cagrilintide are also ingredient names, rather than names of approved medicines. The FDA says neither ingredient belongs to an approved drug, and neither has established safety and effectiveness for any condition.
Compounding is the preparation of medicine by a pharmacist or doctor to meet a patient’s needs. According to the FDA, using either retatrutide or cagrilintide in compounding is barred by federal law.
If someone proposes any of these names, ask what they claim it will treat and what evidence supports that claim. Keep that answer separate from the approval check.
Check the source
Meaning of made-to-order medicine: checked September 17, 2026.
Unapproved ingredient names; Retatrutide and cagrilintide rules: checked September 26, 2026.
FDA approval records (data)FDA: weight-medicine concernsFDA: what made-to-order medicine meansA product code does not mean approval
The FDA’s drug-information list identifies products with a code called an NDC; those letters stand for National Drug Code. The FDA says that assigning this code does not approve the medicine.
Ask for the approval evidence itself, rather than accepting a code as the answer.
Check the source
Drug-directory codes: checked September 26, 2026.
FDA: drug-directory codes explainedMade to order has a different status
A compounded medicine is made by a pharmacist or doctor. It lacks the FDA review for safety, quality, and effectiveness that approval brings.
Check the source
Meaning of made-to-order medicine: checked September 17, 2026.
Made-to-order approval status: checked September 26, 2026.
FDA: what made-to-order medicine means