This care card's answer
A generic has its own approval.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the U.S. medicine regulator.
As of September 26, 2026, no FDA-approved generic for semaglutide or tirzepatide existed in the U.S.
That includes semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound).
Look past the ingredient name.
Ask which finished product is proposed. If the answer is compounded, ask for that fact to be stated plainly in the written description.
Ask which label and evidence apply to that exact product. A familiar ingredient name is a starting point for the question.
An approval is not a stock check.
An approved generic can still be hard to find; a record of approval does not mean it is on a pharmacy shelf.
Ask the pharmacy about the actual product it can fill, rather than treating all versions as the same choice.
Take this to the conversation
Is this an approved generic product or a compounded preparation, and where is its approval record?
Ask for the answer in plain words. Keep it with your visit notes.
Notes behind this answer
- FDA: descriptions that can mislead
Explains the distinction between compounded and generic products.
- FDA: drug application records
Approval information for finished drug products.
- FDA: generic labels for diabetes and weight-loss medicine
FDA has approved generic liraglutide, a medicine used for diabetes or weight loss, depending on the product. An approval record does not tell you whether a pharmacy has it in stock.