What about weight and diabetes medicines?

Start with the exact name

The hormone called GLP-1 carries signals in your body that help govern appetite and blood sugar.

This group commonly includes Ozempic and Wegovy, which contain semaglutide. Mounjaro and Zepbound, containing tirzepatide, are also put in the group.

For example, approved uses include type 2 diabetes for semaglutide (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro), as of September 2026.

Approved uses of semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Zepbound) include long-term weight control, as of September 2026.

Old shortage claims need a date

The FDA national shortage list for September 2026 included neither injectable semaglutide nor tirzepatide.

The FDA is the Food and Drug Administration. Its shortage list concerns national supply, rather than a single pharmacy’s empty shelf.

By September 2026, pharmacies could no longer rely on those national shortages as a reason to make copies of semaglutide or tirzepatide injections.

Other limits on copying still applied; ask what change to the medicine is needed for you and why.

Custom-made is not generic

A generic is a copy medicine approved through a specific FDA process.

In September 2026, no generic semaglutide or tirzepatide could be sold lawfully in the U.S.

Liraglutide was different: it had approved generics, including products with weight-management uses, as of September 2026.

A new name still needs a status check

Retatrutide had no U.S. approval in September 2026.

FDA also stated that retatrutide and cagrilintide could not be compounded under federal law, as of September 2026.

Ask whether the claim describes a result in a study or an FDA-approved product you could be prescribed. Ask about the medicine’s approval separately.