Medicine basics

First, name the medicine.

Proteins are strings of tiny linked parts, like beads on a necklace.

A peptide is a short string made from the same parts.

Peptide names no single treatment.

The health professional who assesses you is your clinician.

Words, unpacked

Active ingredient means the part meant to do the medicine's main work.

Start with an exact drug name

Medicine reviews are handled by FDA, short for the US Food and Drug Administration.

US FDA approval, as of September 26, 2026, covers Ozempic and Wegovy, brands of semaglutide, along with Mounjaro and Zepbound, brands of tirzepatide.

Each approval covers a particular use of a particular product; it does not extend to every reason for seeking peptide care.

A drug's form is how it comes, such as a tablet or injection.

To compound a medicine, a pharmacist or a doctor mixes it or makes it to order.

US law has separate rules for ordinary pharmacies and larger compounding facilities, as of September 26, 2026.

For an ordinary pharmacy, one condition is a valid prescription for a named patient.

A licensed health professional issues a prescription to order your medicine.

The law also limits which raw ingredients may be used and when ready-made medicines may be copied.

A compounded product lacks FDA approval; its safety, quality and effect are not checked by FDA ahead of sale, as of September 26, 2026.

Ask what need the ready-made product cannot meet.
Ask which pharmacy would prepare the medicine.
Ask for the reason that this exact preparation fits you.
Ask the clinician and pharmacy to identify the rules permitting them to prepare this particular medicine for you.

A research label presents a product as being for lab work, not for use as treatment.

FDA advises against research-labelled drugs offered for use in people, as of September 26, 2026.

Its concern is that their quality is unknown and they may harm health.

Retatrutide and cagrilintide are barred from compounding by federal law, FDA says, as of September 26, 2026.