Understand
Which medicine is actually being discussed?
Ask for the ingredient name and the form: injection or tablet, factory-made or pharmacy-made. Keep the words exactly as written.
Why do both names matter?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given approval to semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) in injection and tablet forms; the brand alone leaves the form unclear.
As of September 26, 2026.
FDA · Semaglutide forms and usesA ‘generic name’ is the ingredient name. A brand name identifies a product sold by its maker.
What about weight or diabetes injections?
Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) has FDA-approved injections; their approved uses differ.
As of September 26, 2026.
FDA · Tirzepatide approval recordsAsk which product fits the condition being assessed. An approval for a named use is not a personal treatment decision.
Can I check an approval claim?
FDA application records distinguish approved products from products with no US approval.
As of September 26, 2026.
FDA · Search the approval recordsDrug products have identifying numbers called National Drug Codes (NDCs). The code alone cannot prove that FDA has approved that medicine.
As of September 26, 2026.
FDA · What a product number meansAsk for the approved product’s label, meaning its official medicine information, rather than accepting a code as proof.
Does ‘generic’ mean pharmacy-made?
No. ‘Generic medicine’ means a separate version of a brand-name medicine. That is different from ‘generic name’, which just means the ingredient name.
FDA says calling a pharmacy-made medicine a generic version of an approved product can mislead readers.
As of September 26, 2026.
FDA · Claims about pharmacy-made medicinesAs of September 26, 2026, FDA had approved no generic semaglutide or tirzepatide version for US sale.
As of September 26, 2026.
FDA · Approval checks for generic versions