Medicine review at the federal level sits with the US Food and Drug Administration, or FDA.
Compounding is a way of making a drug
Drug compounding means making or mixing a drug in place of a drug maker’s finished product.
The FDA guidance checked September 26, 2026 says medicines made by compounding do not have FDA approval.
The agency does not check how well these medicines are made, whether they may cause harm or whether they work before they go on sale.
Ask the clinician why your care calls for a medicine made this way. Then ask which ready-made drug was considered and which pharmacy is responsible for making it.
A patient need and a lower price are different things
The federal law checked September 26, 2026 limits ordinary pharmacies making close copies of drugs already sold on the market.
The prescriber can identify a change to the medicine that matters greatly to the particular patient named on the prescription. A cut in price does not meet this test.
Georgia’s rules also limit close copies, as checked September 28, 2026. Narrow exceptions include a medicine changed on a prescriber’s orders for one patient, or supply being unavailable from a drug maker or wholesaler.
Ask what would be changed in your medicine, why that matters for your care and which rule allows it.
Shortage is a national status, rather than a shelf check
By the September 26, 2026 check, the FDA list of national drug shortages contained no semaglutide injection products or tirzepatide.
Stock at a pharmacy near you and a place on the national shortage list are different questions.
Ask for a dated record if an offer points to a shortage. Ask why the proposed drug fits the rules that apply now.
Separate registration from approvalFind the FDA reading