What does “compounded” mean for me?

Ask what is being made and why

• Know what the word describes

  In compounding, a doctor or pharmacist prepares medicine for one patient's needs instead of using a finished medicine supplied by a drug maker.

  Ask what is different about the proposed preparation.

• Keep review and licence separate

  As of September 26, 2026, compounded drugs lack approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Before sale, the agency does not check how well they are made, whether they are safe or whether they help.

  This applies even to a preparation from a well-run pharmacy as of September 26, 2026.

• Ask why an available product does not meet the need

  As of September 26, 2026, FDA says compounding may help if an approved medicine is unavailable or does not serve a patient's medical need.

  Federal law limits pharmacies and doctors making copies of an available medicine repeatedly or in unusually large amounts. Rule checked September 26, 2026.

  A change for one named patient can be treated differently from a copy. The health professional who orders it must decide that the change makes a real difference for that patient's medical needs. A cheaper price is not enough. Rule checked September 26, 2026.

  For instance, an allergy to a dye may mean a patient needs medicine prepared without that dye.

• Do not rely on an old shortage explanation

  As of September 26, 2026, FDA's national list of medicine shortages included neither semaglutide injections nor tirzepatide injections.

  Your pharmacy being out of stock does not mean the medicine is on FDA's national shortage list. That list can affect when copies may be made to order. A local supply problem alone does not give the pharmacy the same permission. Rule checked September 26, 2026.

  Ask which rule the pharmacy is relying on for this preparation.