Same active ingredient, very different price — and what “not FDA-approved” actually means.
Compounded GLP-1s contain the same active ingredient as the brands at a fraction of the cost — but they are not FDA-approved and are prepared per prescription by a licensed pharmacy, not mass-manufactured and reviewed like Wegovy or Zepbound. Used through a licensed clinician and pharmacy, they widen access; the trade-off is the FDA review and standardization you get with brand-name products.
Compounded medications are prepared by a licensed compounding pharmacy for an individual patient's prescription, rather than mass-manufactured. Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide contain the same active ingredient as the brand-name products, but they are not FDA-approved and have not been reviewed by the FDA for safety, effectiveness, or manufacturing quality the way branded drugs have.
| Brand-name | Compounded | |
|---|---|---|
| Examples | Wegovy, Zepbound, Ozempic, Mounjaro | Compounded semaglutide / tirzepatide |
| Active ingredient | Semaglutide or tirzepatide | Same active ingredient |
| FDA status | FDA-approved & reviewed | Not FDA-approved; prepared per prescription |
| Clinical trial data | Studied in STEP / SURMOUNT / SURPASS | Not the subject of those trials |
| Typical cash cost | ~$1,000–$1,350/mo | from $129/mo |
Compounding is legal and long-standing, but quality depends entirely on the pharmacy. If you consider a compounded option: make sure it's prescribed by a licensed clinician after reviewing your history, dispensed by a licensed U.S. pharmacy, and never buy "research" or "gray-market" products that skip a prescription. Compounded preparations are not established as equivalent to the branded products, and a clinician should determine whether one is appropriate for you.
DripVitals prescribes compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide only after a licensed clinician reviews your intake, dispensed by a licensed pharmacy.
DripVitals is an online clinic: complete a secure intake, a licensed clinician reviews it, and if a GLP-1 medication is appropriate it ships from a licensed pharmacy to your door, with follow-ups by message or video.
See if you qualifyExplore GLP-1 treatments
It contains the same active ingredient (semaglutide) but is not FDA-approved and is prepared by a licensed pharmacy rather than mass-manufactured.
Quality depends on the pharmacy. Use only compounded medication prescribed by a licensed clinician and dispensed by a licensed U.S. pharmacy; avoid “research” or gray-market products.
It isn’t sold at brand list prices and is prepared per prescription. DripVitals offers it from $129/month.
See semaglutide vs tirzepatide; a clinician helps decide during your visit.