Compounded GLP-1s were everywhere during the 2022–2024 shortages. The shortages are over, and YourMD prescribes only brand GLP-1s FDA-approved for weight management (Wegovy®, the Wegovy® pill, Zepbound®, Foundayo™) through manufacturer-direct pharmacy programs. Here's the honest explanation of why — and what it means for your cost.
YourMD does not prescribe compounded GLP-1 medications. For weight management we prescribe only FDA-approved brand products — Wegovy® and the Wegovy® pill (semaglutide, Novo Nordisk), Zepbound® (tirzepatide, Eli Lilly), and Foundayo™ (orforglipron, Eli Lilly) — filled through manufacturer-direct pharmacy programs like NovoCare and LillyDirect.
Under federal law (FDCA Section 503A), pharmacies could compound copies of semaglutide and tirzepatide while those drugs were on the FDA's official shortage list. The shortages have ended and the compounding grace periods closed in 2025 (tirzepatide in early 2025; semaglutide on April 22, 2025 for 503A pharmacies and May 22, 2025 for 503B outsourcing facilities). Compounded copies are no longer permitted except for a documented, patient-specific clinical need, and the FDA has since taken enforcement action against telehealth sellers marketing compounded GLP-1s as equivalent to the brands.
Ozempic® and Mounjaro® are FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes, not for weight loss.
The old argument for compounding was cost: brand pens listed at $1,000–1,300/month. That gap has narrowed dramatically. Manufacturer self-pay programs (NovoCare for Wegovy, LillyDirect for Zepbound) now offer the brand products at a fraction of list price without insurance. YourMD routes your prescription to these manufacturer-direct programs, and you pay the manufacturer's price for the medication — we take no markup on the drug. You pay YourMD only for physician care: GLP-1 Essential $79/month or GLP-1 Concierge $149/month, with medication billed separately by NovoCare®, LillyDirect™, or your insurance.
Legitimate 503A compounding still has a place for products with no commercial equivalent or a genuine individualized need — and YourMD does work with licensed, accredited US compounding pharmacies for certain non-GLP-1 therapies. Every compounded prescription we write carries a clear disclosure that the product is compounded, is prepared by a named pharmacy, and is not FDA-approved. GLP-1s are not in that category: FDA-approved versions exist, are available, and are what we prescribe.
If a telehealth company is still selling you a compounded "semaglutide program" in 2026, ask why. The shortage justification is gone, the price justification has mostly evaporated, and the regulatory risk sits with you as much as with them. Brand GLP-1s through manufacturer-direct pharmacies are the safe, legal, and now affordable path — and that's the only GLP-1 path YourMD offers.
Medical disclaimer: Educational content, not medical advice. Wegovy®, Ozempic®, Rybelsus® are trademarks of Novo Nordisk. Mounjaro®, Zepbound® are trademarks of Eli Lilly. Page reviewed by Teja V. Surapaneni, MD, MS (NV, WA, OR, WI). Last reviewed: July 25, 2026