Understanding the medicine
Know exactly what is being prescribed.
The ingredient name, the brand name, and the intended use all matter. Ask the prescriber to write down the exact product and what it is meant to treat in your case.
The names
Match the product to the purpose
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves specific medicines for specific uses.
U.S. approval information below was checked in September 2026.
Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy)
Ozempic injection has uses in adults with type 2 diabetes, a blood-sugar condition. Wegovy products include uses for losing weight and keeping it off, alongside food and activity changes.
Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound)
Mounjaro has uses for type 2 diabetes. Zepbound has uses for adults to lose weight and keep it off, alongside food and activity changes.
Liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda)
Victoza has uses for type 2 diabetes. Saxenda has uses for losing weight and keeping it off, alongside food and activity changes.
For Ozempic injection, a prescriber can lawfully choose a use beyond its approved uses; this is called off-label prescribing.
Ask why the exact product fits the purpose of your care.
Generics
A generic drug has its own approval
A generic drug is a copy with FDA approval.
September 2026 records showed approved generic liraglutide, including versions for losing weight and keeping it off. At that time, there was no approved generic of semaglutide or tirzepatide for U.S. sale.
The liraglutide versions for diabetes and for weight loss have different approved uses. The pharmacy cannot simply replace one with the other.
Made to order
What a pharmacy makes to order
A pharmacy or doctor may prepare a drug for a particular need; this is called compounding.
As of September 2026, FDA had approved no compounded medicines. FDA did not check how well they worked, how safe they were, or how well they were made before sale.
A compounded medicine may be useful for a patient whose medical need is not met by an approved medicine.
Why is a pharmacy-made medicine being considered for my particular need?
The rules
A national shortage no longer allows these copies
A national shortage can allow larger medicine-making facilities to make a version of a medicine under special rules. That permission ends when the shortage listing ends.
In September 2026, semaglutide injection and tirzepatide were off the FDA’s national shortage list.
A local pharmacy running out of stock does not put a drug on that list.
Other pharmacies make medicine to order for a named patient with a prescription. Federal law limits these pharmacies from making copies of ready-made medicines over and over or in very large amounts.
A change to the medicine for a named patient can be an exception. For that exception, the prescriber must judge the change to make an important medical difference for the individual patient.
Saving money by itself does not qualify for this exception.
What is different about this medicine, why does that change matter for my health, and which rule allows this prescription?
The next useful name is the pharmacy that fills the prescription.