Medicine made to order
What changes when medicine is compounded
Ask why the pharmacy-made medicine is proposed for your health problem, what is changed from the approved medicine and which pharmacy makes it.
What “compounded” means
To compound medicine is to make or mix it for a specific patient in place of a drug-company product that is already finished.
FDA is the Food and Drug Administration.
According to the FDA, compounding can address needs left unmet by approved medicines, or help when an approved medicine is unavailable (as of September 26, 2026). FDA’s explanation of compounding
- Ask what keeps an approved medicine from meeting your need.
- Ask which pharmacy makes it and which pharmacy sends it.
What the FDA has not reviewed
As of September 26, 2026, compounded medicine remains without FDA approval.
The FDA does not review its quality, benefits or harms before it is offered to patients. FDA on compounded-drug quality
FDA information checked September 17, 2026, says poorly compounded medicine may contain germs or have more or less active ingredient than it should.
A medicine’s active ingredient is the part that produces its effect.
- Ask why a finished approved product does not meet the need.
- Ask who will answer questions about the label.
Why the end of a shortage matters
The FDA’s shortage list records medicines in short supply across the country. A medicine can be missing from a local pharmacy’s shelves without appearing on that national list (as of September 26, 2026). FDA on shortages and compounding
Semaglutide and tirzepatide have approved products whose uses include diabetes or weight loss; the use varies with the product (as of September 26, 2026).
Ohio’s pharmacy board says the national shortages of semaglutide and tirzepatide have ended (as of September 28, 2026). Pharmacies and clinics can no longer use those shortages as a reason to make copies of the approved products. Ohio’s compounding guidance
A copy is a made-to-order version with the same main drug ingredient and a similar strength, meaning the amount of drug in a dose. It is also taken in the same way, under FDA policy checked September 26, 2026.
Ohio’s guidance allows a changed medicine if the person writing your prescription decides the change makes a significant difference for you. They must describe the change on your prescription and write there why it matters to your care. Listing your name and the medicine’s recipe is not enough.
FDA says adding a vitamin to a mixture does not necessarily prevent it from being a copy of an approved medicine (checked September 26, 2026). Adding a vitamin alone leaves the restrictions on medicine copies in place. FDA’s explanation of medicine copies
- Ask: “What is different from the approved medicine, and why do I need that change?”
- Ask: “Have you written that reason on my prescription?”
When an out-of-state pharmacy sends a compound
Ohio requires a prescription for a named patient and a label identifying it as a compounded drug, as of September 28, 2026. Ohio’s out-of-state compounding rule
That pharmacy also needs an Ohio licence before shipping here, as of September 28, 2026.
- Match the pharmacy’s full name to the state licence record.
- Ask for clarification if the label’s source or wording is unclear.