Understand the medicine
Does a shortage allow a compounded copy?
A national shortage listing and an empty shelf at a local pharmacy are different things.
The national listing is the relevant check
FDA, the US medicine review agency, keeps a national shortage list. Federal compounding rules use that list.
Compounding means making or mixing medicine to order.
A local stock problem does not by itself create that national listing.
FDA’s shortage list did not include injections of semaglutide or tirzepatide as of September 26, 2026.
Shortage status can change, so the dated record matters.
The copy restriction still matters
Federal law limits regular copying of a medicine already on the market through compounding.
For a regular pharmacy, a changed medicine can fall outside the copy restriction if the prescriber judges that the alteration makes an important difference to the individual patient.
A price difference alone does not meet that test.
Ask the pharmacy to name the rule permitting it to prepare this medicine. If a change for you is the reason given, ask what was altered and how that affects your health.
Adding a vitamin does not settle the question
FDA says a semaglutide preparation with added vitamin B12 may still count as essentially a copy.
FDA compares the ingredient, strength and way the medicine enters the body. It also checks whether the prescriber has recorded a medicine change that makes an important difference to the individual patient.
A different name or ingredient list is not an answer on its own. Ask the prescriber to explain the reason for the preparation.