Eighteen months after the shortage ended, what is left of compounded GLP-1s
The mass-compounding pathway closed on 21 February 2025. 503A patient-specific compounding continues, and it requires a documented clinical reason.
The FDA declared the semaglutide shortage resolved on 21 February 2025, ending the enforcement discretion that permitted large-scale compounding. Tirzepatide's window had closed earlier.
What remains is 503A compounding for an individual patient where a prescriber documents a clinical reason the approved product does not serve them — an excipient allergy, a dose not commercially available. A general preference for a lower price is not that reason.
Two questions separate a legitimate programme from a risky one: which pharmacy fills it and under which category, and what the exact salt form and concentration are. The FDA has said semaglutide sodium and acetate are not the same active ingredient as the base form in approved products.
Full timeline: the legal status in 2026.
Filed by the Peptides Editorial research desk. Corrections: the corrections log.