A field note for your care search
A custom copy is not simply a generic.
Ask what product is being offered before comparing the price.
The mix-up
A compounded version is simply a generic.
The clearer answer
Compounded tells you how the medicine was prepared: a doctor or pharmacist made it to order. Source a
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) treats claims that a compounded medicine is an approved drug’s generic as misleading. Source b
Approval is part of what makes a copy of a brand-name medicine a generic. Source c
U.S. product status as of September 26, 2026.
Keep these questions separate
Is it approved or mixed to order?
Ozempic and Wegovy contain the medicine semaglutide. Source c
Mounjaro and Zepbound contain the medicine tirzepatide. Source c
At the September 26, 2026 check, no generic of either medicine was approved to be sold in the United States. Source c
Which medicine is being named?
Generic liraglutide does have approved versions, including versions for weight management. Source d
A claim about one medicine does not answer a question about another.
What rule allows the pharmacy to make this mixture?
Have the prescriber identify the rule that permits this pharmacy to prepare the particular mixture being offered. Then ask what medical need it would meet for you.
An old shortage does not explain today’s mixture
FDA’s shortage list tracks shortages across the country. Source e
An empty shelf at your pharmacy does not put a medicine on that list. Source e
FDA’s national drug-shortage list included neither semaglutide nor tirzepatide when checked on September 26, 2026. Source f
Neither was on FDA’s list of raw drug ingredients allowed for use by large businesses that mix medicines. Source f
Ask the service to explain why the pharmacy may make your mixture now. A claim about an old shortage does not answer that question.
FDA describes an exception to the copying rules when a change makes an important difference to a named patient’s care. Source f
The person writing the prescription must record the change and why it makes that difference. Source f
Ask what needs changing in the medicine and what need that would meet, such as being unable to swallow a tablet.
An added vitamin does not answer the question
A mixture can remain essentially a copy of an available medicine despite an added vitamin, FDA says. Source f
Ask how the mixture differs from the ready-made medicine and why that change matters to your care. An extra ingredient alone does not answer those questions.
Sources for this note
Keep going
Check the pharmacy