Is every peptide a medicine?
No. A short chain of protein building blocks is called a peptide; insulin is a familiar example.
The name describes its makeup. It does not tell you what a proposed treatment is for.
What does approval tell me?
The federal agency that reviews drug products is the Food and Drug Administration, known as the FDA.
The FDA checks evidence from studies. The FDA has agreed that, for a stated use, the product works and its risks are acceptable.
As of September 2026, FDA approval for specified uses applies to Ozempic and Wegovy (semaglutide) and to Mounjaro and Zepbound (tirzepatide).
These are often called GLP-1 drugs. They mimic a signal the body makes naturally to help regulate blood sugar and hunger.
Get the medicine’s full name, then ask how it is supplied: pill, shot or another form. Ask which health problem it would treat.
What does “compounded” mean?
A pharmacy, doctor or drug-making facility mixes or makes a medicine to order.
Made-to-order medicines are not FDA-approved, as of September 2026. Before they are sold, the FDA does not check whether they work, how well they are made or what harm they may cause.
Read what changes with compoundingWhat backs up the answer?
FDA / product review
A patient may need something an approved medicine cannot provide; a made-to-order medicine may fill that gap. The made-to-order medicine itself has not been checked by the FDA.
As of September 2026.
Read the FDA’s compounding explanationWhat does a “research use only” label tell me?
As of September 2026, the FDA urges people to avoid research-labelled GLP-1 drugs offered for human use.
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