Is the exact product an approved medicine?

Which medicine has FDA approval?

FDA, the US Food and Drug Administration, approves particular products with named uses.

Semaglutide and tirzepatide are medicine ingredients used in products for diabetes or weight loss. As of September 2026, FDA-approved examples include Ozempic and Wegovy with semaglutide, and Mounjaro and Zepbound with tirzepatide. Each product has its own approved uses.

Another product with the same ingredient may have no FDA approval. Check the approval for the exact medicine being offered.

Is a compounded version a generic?

An approved generic is a copy of a drug sold under a brand name.

Compounded medicine is prepared to order for an individual patient.

As of September 2026, FDA says calling a made-to-order medicine a generic, or claiming it matches an approved medicine, is misleading.

In the US, no FDA-approved generic version of semaglutide or tirzepatide was available for lawful sale as of September 2026.

Does “FDA registered” prove approval?

No. As of September 2026, an FDA record for a business or medicine does not establish that the agency approved it.

An NDC identifies a medicine in a drug list by number; NDC stands for National Drug Code. This drug-list number does not prove that FDA approved the medicine.

Ask for the product’s approval record rather than treating a registration number as the answer.

Does a research label change the rules?

Some sellers label chemicals “for research use only,” meaning for study rather than treatment. FDA has sent warning letters telling sellers that offering those products as treatment for people makes them unapproved drugs.

Those letters tell particular sellers what FDA says they did wrong. They are warnings, rather than court decisions about every product.

The words “for research use only” do not prove a product is suitable for treatment. FDA warns people against getting these products for use as medicine.