Section
Explainers
10 pages in this section, most recently updated September 4, 2026. Each opens with a plain-English summary and cites its sources.
01 · Explainers
Featured503A versus 503B: the two kinds of compounder, in plain English
You'll get: There are two kinds of compounder. A 503A pharmacy makes a drug for one named patient on a prescription.
What sections 503A and 503B actually say, who inspects each kind of compounder, what each may ship and to whom, and why neither makes an FDA-approved drug.
Updated September 4, 2026
02 · Explainers
FeaturedWhat "essentially a copy" means, and why it decides whether a compounded GLP-1 is lawful
You'll get: A pharmacy may not routinely copy a drug that is on sale, unless there is a real difference for you.
The phrase that separates lawful patient-specific compounding from copying an approved drug: the test, the exception, and what a prescriber must document.
Updated September 4, 202603 · Explainers
FeaturedThe GLP-1 shortage timeline, with every date from an FDA source
You'll get: Compounding of these two drugs grew because the brand versions were on the FDA shortage list.
When semaglutide and tirzepatide went on the FDA shortage list, when each came off, the court fight, the wind-down windows, and the 2025 ruling.
Updated September 4, 202604 · Explainers
FeaturedWhat a compounding pharmacy may and may not do with GLP-1s now
You'll get: Since the shortages ended, a pharmacy may still compound a GLP-1 for you if your prescriber records a real difference for you.
After the shortage resolutions: what the FDA says 503A compounders can still do, what they cannot, the tighter 503B position, and how to read an offer.
Updated September 4, 202605 · Explainers
FeaturedWhat a certificate of analysis shows, and how to read one line by line
You'll get: A certificate of analysis is a lab report for one batch. It shows what was tested, the results, and who tested it.
A COA is a lab report for one lot. Here is what each section means, which tests matter for an injectable compounded drug, how to match the document to your vial, and the things a COA cannot tell you.
Updated September 4, 202606 · Explainers
FeaturedPCAC, the 503A bulks list, and the Category 1 and 2 status of peptides people ask about
You'll get: Pharmacies may only compound from a raw ingredient with a set standard, one in an approved drug, or one the FDA lists.
How a substance gets onto the 503A bulks list, what Category 1, 2 and 3 meant, which peptides the FDA flagged in 2023, and what the 2026 committee decided.
Updated September 4, 202607 · Explainers
Salt forms and "research use only": two labels that change what you are buying
You'll get: Approved GLP-1 drugs use the base form of the peptide. Some sellers use salt forms, which the FDA says are different ingredients.
Why semaglutide sodium and acetate are not the drug in Ozempic, what the FDA has said, and why a research use only label means no pharmacy is behind it.
Updated September 4, 202608 · Explainers
Who inspects a compounding pharmacy, and how to read what they found
You'll get: State pharmacy boards license and inspect most compounding pharmacies. The FDA inspects the big sites and steps in for cause.
State boards, the FDA, and the documents each produces: inspection reports, Form 483 observations, warning letters, recalls and consent decrees.
Updated September 4, 202609 · Explainers
How to report a problem with a compounded drug to FDA MedWatch
You'll get: If a compounded drug makes you ill or arrives looking wrong, tell your prescriber and pharmacy, then report it to the FDA.
Which form to use (3500B is written for patients), where the online form is, the phone line, what to have ready, and who else to tell.
Updated September 4, 202610 · Explainers
How to use the pharmacy vetting checklist
You'll get: Answer ten questions about an offer and the tool prints a checklist of verification steps tailored to your answers.
Ten answers in, a printable list of verification steps out. What each question is really asking, why the tool never scores an offer, and how to work through the list in an afternoon.
Updated September 4, 2026