What shapes an injection decision
A custom medicine has no FDA approval
At the September 26, 2026 check, compounded drugs had no approval from the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA. Before marketing, these drugs get no review by the agency for quality, safety or how well they work. A
At that check, the FDA said claims of approval or sameness to an approved product mislead people about compounded drugs. B
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Ask what a ready-made drug cannot provide
FDA advice says a made-to-order medicine may help a patient whose medical need cannot be met by an approved drug. It may also help when the approved product is not being sold. One pharmacy running out is a different question; see the shortage section below. A
Federal law limits pharmacies and doctors making copies of drugs already being sold. They cannot make these copies as a routine practice or in unusually large amounts. This rule was checked on September 26, 2026. C
Your prescriber is the health professional who orders your medicine. Under the rule for pharmacies and doctors, a changed product can fall outside this copy limit. Your prescriber must decide that, for you as an individual, the change makes a meaningful difference. C
A lower price alone is not enough to meet this rule. Why do I need this change to the medicine, and where has that reason been written down? C
What shapes an injection decision
Washington's ingredient notes are specific
Washington's Pharmacy Commission rejects semaglutide sodium and semaglutide acetate as ingredients for medicines made to order. These full names identify different chemical versions, called salt forms, of semaglutide. Look for 'sodium' or 'acetate' after 'semaglutide' in the ingredient name. The state statement was checked on September 30, 2026. D
The commission also rules out ingredients marked 'not for human consumption' or 'research use only' in medicines made to order for patients. Those labels mean the ingredients are for study, not for use in people. It sent this reminder in July 2026. E
These statements tell pharmacies how existing drug rules apply; the statements are not new laws. E
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One pharmacy running out does not change the national shortage list
A drug on the FDA's national shortage list can be made to order without the usual limit on copying a drug already being sold. C
At the September 26, 2026 check, the FDA's national shortage list did not include semaglutide injection or tirzepatide. A local lack of stock is different from that national listing. C
Retatrutide and cagrilintide are names of substances discussed by the FDA in its advice about weight medicines. At the September 26, 2026 check, neither was an ingredient in an FDA-approved drug. Neither had been found safe and effective for any health condition. Federal law does not allow either substance to be made into a compounded medicine. F
For a different peptide name, ask for its own explanation. A rule about a weight medicine does not answer every product question.