If you’re using compounded semaglutide, a major regulatory change is coming that could impact your treatment.

On February 21, 2025, the FDA announced that compounding pharmacies will no longer be allowed to produce or dispense compounded semaglutide after:

• April 22, 2025 (for 503A pharmacies)

• May 22, 2025 (for 503B facilities)

If this news feels frustrating or confusing, you’re not alone. Many people who have seen life-changing results on compounded semaglutide are wondering: What now? We’re here to break it down and help you navigate your next steps.

What’s Happening?

In 2022, the FDA declared a shortage of injectable semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic. This allowed compounding pharmacies to legally produce it to help meet demand.

Now, as of February 21, 2025, the FDA has determined that the shortage is officially over and has removed semaglutide from the National Drug Shortage List. Because of this, compounded semaglutide will no longer be available after April 22 or May 22, 2025, depending on the type of pharmacy.

What Are Your Options?

We know this change is scary, but we’re here to help you determine a great path forward with minimal disruptions to your treatment journey. Below is a list of options we can explore together:

1. Extend your Compounded Semaglutide treatment plan as much as possible

   If clinically appropriate, Measured providers may prescribe up to three months of medication at a time. Measured works with both 503A pharmacies and 503B facilities, which means the last possible ship date for many patients is May 22, 2025. If you receive a three-month prescription at the end of May, you will be able to maintain your treatment through the end of August – six months from now.

   👉 If you are interested in this option, please sit tight for the time being. We will reach out to all of our active compounded semaglutide patients in the near future to gather go-forward preferences and ensure all Measured providers are aware.
   
   

2. Check if your insurance will cover branded GLP-1 medications, such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, or Zepbound

   Switching to a branded GLP-1 medication, such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, or Zepbound is a great long-term option, if your insurance will help to cover medication costs. Without insurance coverage, these medications typically cost between $1,000-$1,300 per month at the pharmacy. However, with coverage, many patients pay as low as $25 per month.

   The best way to find out if your insurance will cover these medications is to check directly with them. If you have not checked yet in 2025, it’s worth reaching back out as coverage criteria often changes.
   👉 If you’re an active Measured patient and would like help with this, please reach out via Messages in your patient portal.
   👉 If you’re not an active Measured patient, please sign up for our Insurance + GLP-1 Plan here. After you complete onboarding, the very first thing we do is work with your insurance plan to determine your coverage details. If your insurance will not cover any medications and you’d like to cancel, we’ll refund half of your first month’s payment.
   
   

3. Consider alternative GLP-1 and non-GLP-1 weight loss medications

   Beyond compounded semaglutide and the branded GLP-1s mentioned above, Measured providers can also prescribe non-GLP-1 oral medications.
   These pill-form medications are usually affordable regardless of insurance status and cost approximately $5-$20/mo at a pharmacy without insurance. These medications include:

   • Metformin

   • Naltrexone

   • Bupropion

   • Naltrexone/Bupropion (Contrave)

   • Topiramate

     Additionally, our team is actively working to expand our medication formulary to additional weight loss medications, including other forms of compounded GLP-1s. We will share more information on this here (through our blog), via email, and on semashortage.com as soon as we have it.

What’s Next? Stay Informed & Take Action

We understand how challenging this may feel, and we’re committed to supporting you every step of the way. Here’s what you can do right now:

1. Have us check with your insurance to see if branded GLP-1s are covered under your plan.

2. Be financially ready to place a 3-month compounded semaglutide order.

3. Stay updated by signing up for our email list, where we’ll share the latest news and guidance on these changes. We’re also launching semashortage.com (coming soon!) which will include a step-by-step guide, cost comparison tool, and the latest updates on this situation.

We know this is a frustrating change, but you are not alone. We’ll continue to advocate for patient access and help you find the best path forward. 💙

—

1. Why was compounded semaglutide able to be produced in the first place?

   Semaglutide injections were added to the National Drug Shortage List in 2022 because the FDA determined that Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company that produces the semaglutide-based injections Wegovy and Ozempic, was not able to produce enough of the medication to meet patient demand. Because of this, specialty pharmacies were permitted to begin producing compounded semaglutide.
   
   

2. Why is compounded semaglutide being discontinued?

   Speciality pharmacies were only able to produce compounded semaglutide during the national shortage of Wegovy and Ozempic in order to meet patient demand. Now that the FDA considers the shortage resolved, compounding pharmacies can no longer legally produce or dispense this medication as the medication’s active ingredient (semaglutide) is still trademarked.
   
   

3. When will I stop having access to compounded semaglutide?

   The FDA ruled that 503A compounding pharmacies must stop producing compounded Semaglutide on April 22, 2025 and 503B outsourcing facilities must stop on May 22, 2025. Depending on the type of facility (503A or 503B) your medication is sent from, you should expect your final prescription to arrive before one of those two dates.
   It is worth noting that Measured is partnered with both 503A and 503B facilities and will work closely with all patients to extend their treatment plans as much as possible.
   
   

4. Will my insurance now cover branded versions, like Wegovy or Ozempic? It’s not possible to say as insurance coverage widely varies – some plan cover these medications outright, others require specific medical criteria, and others classify GLP-1s as “plan exclusions” (which is to say, no coverage regardless of the patient’s health status or needs).

   If you’d like to better understand your coverage, we recommend:
   - If you’re an active Measured patient → Please reach out via Messages in the patient portal.
   - If you’re not an active Measured patient → ****please sign up for our Insurance + GLP-1 Plan. After you complete onboarding, the very first thing we do is work with your insurance plan to determine your coverage details. If your insurance will not cover any medications and you’d like to cancel, we’ll refund half of your first month’s payment.
   
   

5. How can I stay up-to-date?
   Sign up for our email list where we’ll share the latest news and guidance on these changes. We’re also launching semashortage.com soon, which will include a step-by-step guide, cost comparison tool, and the latest updates on this situation.
   If you’d like to better understand your coverage, we recommend:
   - If you’re an active Measured patient → Please reach out via Messages in the patient portal.
   - If you’re not an active Measured patient → ****please sign up for our Insurance + GLP-1 Plan. After you complete onboarding, the very first thing we do is work with your insurance plan to determine your coverage details. If your insurance will not cover any medications and you’d like to cancel, we’ll refund half of your first month’s payment.