Approved drug
The FDA has reviewed a particular product for specific uses. As of September 2026, FDA-approved products exist for both tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) and semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy).
A plain primer on peptide care
The shortest useful answer: “peptide” describes what something is made of. It does not tell you whether it is an approved medicine or a sound treatment choice.
One term, many products
What “peptide” means
Peptides are short strings of amino acids, the same building blocks proteins are made from. Insulin is a peptide. So are some medicines used in weight care.
The label only tells you the chemistry of the thing. It is not a government stamp of approval. What matters is the exact product, what it is meant to treat, and where it comes from: a drug company, a pharmacy that mixes it, or an online chemical seller.
Three kinds of product that are not the same
Compounded drug
A pharmacy or a doctor mixes it to order for one patient. Compounded drugs have no FDA approval, and the agency does not vet how safe, effective, or well made they are before they are sold.
Research chemical
A product marked “research use only” is not a medicine for personal treatment. FDA warning letters say that printing “research use only” on the label does not cancel a seller’s hints that people should use it.
Being on a government list is not approval
An NDC number (National Drug Code: the ID number a product gets when its maker lists it with the FDA) does not mean FDA has approved the product. Showing up in a government drug list online does not prove approval either.
- Ask for the ingredient name. That is the medicine’s own name, such as semaglutide, not a brand name or a loose word like “peptide”.
- Ask whether the exact product is FDA-approved. “FDA registered” answers a different question.
- If it is compounded, ask why. Also ask which pharmacy will prepare it.