When endocrinologist Dan Bessesen, MD, looked online and saw how easy it would be for him to purchase a weight loss drug from a compounding pharmacy without being seen by a medical provider, he was disturbed.
“If you think about other medications like blood pressure or cholesterol medications, people talk to their doctors and hear the pros and cons of these drugs,” says Bessesen, a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Department of Medicine and director of the CU Anschutz Health and Wellness Center. “Your doctor has a responsibility to do what’s best for you — not make money off you. The goals may be different for companies selling compounded obesity medications.”
In recent years, advertisements for glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs like semaglutide (sold under the brands Ozempic and Wegovy) have surged, often promoting the drugs’ weight loss effects. Facing a national shortage of semaglutide in 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permitted outside companies to manufacture copies of this drug, called compounded GLP-1s. Companies promoted easy access and purchasing of these compounded drugs, often advertising that a person could buy them online with just a few clicks.
However, in 2025, the FDA banned the production of these compounded GLP-1s because there is no longer a shortage of semaglutide. Despite this ban, compounded GLP-1s continue to be available.
“People who worry about their weight may face a higher risk of being taken advantage of by these companies that are responding to high consumer demand,” Bessesen says. “While prices remain high for brand name obesity medications and insurance coverage remains inadequate, these compounded formulations are now illegal to produce, so you have to ask yourself: Do you really want to subject your health to a company that is doing something illegal because they want to make money?”
For many people, a top resolution for 2026 is weight loss. In light of this, we recently spoke with Bessesen about GLP-1s versus their compounded counterparts, how compounded GLP-1s went from widespread to banned, and what people should consider before purchasing weight loss drugs online.
The following interview has been edited and condensed.