Pharmacies or clinics that offer compounded medications do so by combining, mixing, or altering ingredients to create a medication tailored to an individual patient. The process of compounding a medication combines two or more drugs. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved.

You should be aware that compounded semaglutide may not contain the same active ingredients as FDA approved semaglutide. Compounded semaglutide is created through bulk product purchased from a generic wholesaler. Currently bulk wholesalers cannot purchase true semaglutide from Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, because Novo Nordisk does not supply to any external parties. This means that to compound semaglutide, pharmacies must purchase elsewhere. For this reason, there is no way to know that the compounded semaglutide you are receiving is authentic semaglutide.

In addition to the concerns for sourcing of the medication, compounding pharmacies are not required to have third party testing on their products. This means that they are not certified to be pure, potent, and consistent. In addition, they are not confirmed by clinical trials to be safe and effective. The FDA has warned against using compounded semaglutide, as they have received adverse event reports from patients using the compounded drug.

Due to current safety and efficacy concerns with compounded semaglutide, we do not currently endorse the use of compounded semaglutide. As a patient of our medical weight loss program, you will meet with a licensed nurse practitioner who is authorized to prescribe brand name medications, such as Ozempic or Wegovy, based on a patients’ specific needs and goals. If you would like to learn more about our medical weight loss program, please contact us today.