- Which exact product is this?
- What is the basis for using it in my care?
- Who will explain the cost and the next step?
Can a prescription settle every concern?
A prescription comes from a licensed person who treats you and gives an order for medicine. Compounding means making medicine to order. FDA stands for Food and Drug Administration. This agency reviews medicines in the U.S.
As of September 26, 2026, compounded medicine still lacked FDA approval even when it had a prescription.
Ask why that specific product is proposed and which pharmacy makes it.
Does registration with FDA establish approval?
As of September 26, 2026, a business could choose to register with FDA as a facility that makes medicines to order. Registration did not mean FDA approved its medicines or endorsed the business.
An NDC number, the government directory’s product code, did not establish FDA approval either.
Ask for an answer about the product itself, rather than a registration badge or a code.
What about retatrutide and cagrilintide?
Retatrutide and cagrilintide are unapproved substances. At the September 26, 2026, check, FDA said neither had been shown safe and effective for any illness.
At the September 26, 2026, check, FDA said that federal law barred using retatrutide or cagrilintide to make medicines to order.
These names are not alternatives with the same approval as semaglutide or tirzepatide. Ask the person treating you about the evidence and rules that apply to that exact product.
Is a cheaper copy automatically allowed?
As of September 26, 2026, the law limited made-to-order copies of ready-made medicines. Paying less was not a medical reason for an exception. For a named patient, the person prescribing had to decide that a change made an important medical difference for that person.
A national shortage can allow copies that would otherwise be restricted. That route depends on whether the medicine appears on FDA’s list of shortages.
At the September 26, 2026, check, neither semaglutide injection nor tirzepatide was on FDA’s national shortage list.
So do not assume a past shortage still allows a copy. Ask what medical need the proposed change meets and have the pharmacy explain the rule it relies on.
Can you get care entirely online?
Telehealth is a visit held at a distance, for example by video.
Arizona rules checked October 3, 2026, allowed remote examinations that met the patient’s care needs and the examination rules for the medicine. An online visit did not mean you would get a prescription.
Ask whether the person treating you can assess your problem through the screen. If you need a physical examination or tests, ask who arranges them and what they cost.