Who Makes Your Ozempic? Experts Untangle Who Makes Name-Brand and Generic GLP-1

Only one company officially makes name-brand semaglutide with FDA approval to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity: Novo Nordisk. Jonathan Ramnauth, PharmD, RPh, CPh, BCSCP from Olympia Pharmaceuticals, says, “Novo Nordisk, a Danish Pharmaceutical Company that specializes in diabetes care, makes Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus.”

While having three different types of semaglutide may seem strange, each medication produces slightly different results. Jonathan Kaplan MD, MPH, CEO of BuildMyHealth explains, “Semaglutide mimics the natural incretin hormone GLP1, and sets off a cascade of physiological effects on insulin secretion, glucagon suppression, and appetite regulation by both peripheral and central nervous system mechanisms. Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus, which have their own distinct advantages in the treatment landscape.”

Dr. Kaplan continues to explain the main differences between each medication:

• Ozempic: “Ozempic was originally designed to treat type 2 diabetes and has been shown to induce excellent glycemic control with HbA1c reductions of 1.0-1.4% in trials. However, this observed weight loss effect has led to complex market dynamics and accessibility challenges due to widespread off-label use, sometimes up to five t 10% of body weight.”
• Wegovy: “Specifically designed to target the obesity pathway, Wegovy (up to 2.4mg weekly vs. Ozempic’s max 1mg) achieves average weight reductions of 15-17% in clinical trials, a magnitude that until now has only been achieved through bariatric surgery.”
• Rybelsus: “The oral formulation of Rybelsus represents a major pharmaceutical engineering achievement, exemplified by its use of SNAC technology to allow gastric absorption of the peptide molecule, although its bioavailability is only about 1% compared to injectable forms.”

For more information, check out our informative telehealth and GLP-1 glossary.

Only Eli Lilly and Company makes name-brand tirzepatide

Similar to name-brand semaglutide, the only official manufacturer of name-brand tirzepatide with FDA approval is Eli Lilly and Company. Eli’s branding for tirzepatide is Mounjaro and Zepbound.

• Mounjaro: Mounjaro is FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes.
• Zepbound: Zepbound is FDA-approved for weight loss. In December 2024, the FDA approved Zepbound as the first and only prescription medicine for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity.

Although semaglutide and tirzepatide are GLP-1 agonists, tirzepatide generally works better for weight loss and obesity. Woman’s World recently spoke to the triple-board certified medical weight-loss doctor, Sue Decotiis, MD about why she prefers tirzepatide: “Studies show patients tend to lose more weight on (tirzepatide) while patients on semaglutide hit a wall after six to eight months.”

Weight Loss

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Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide are medications that compounding pharmacies make using the same ingredients as Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Zepbound and Mounjaro. According to Sam Tejada, founder of the med spa Liquivida, “There are currently hundreds of compounding pharmacies that produce this product.”

Jonathan Ramnauth echoed Sam and told us: “There are numerous amounts of compounding facilities throughout the United States that can compound semaglutide. As most of them are patient-specific (503A), they are only allowed to compound on a much smaller scale, Semaglutide can only be compounded when it is on the short drug list, as it is now.”

However, the availability of both compounded semaglutide may be difficult with the FDA removing some name-brand medications from the shortage list. With compounded tirzepatide already off the shortage list, it is reasonable to assume that semaglutide is next.

Jonathan also gave us a few examples of compounding pharmacies that produce GLP-1s:

• Olympia Pharmaceuticals
• Atlas Pharmaceuticals, LLC
• Apothecary Pharma, LLC
• Arc Compounding Pharmacy LLC
• Assure Infusions, Inc.

Digging deeper into the subject of compounding pharmacies, there are two options: 503A and 503B. According to Jonathan Ramnauth, “The key difference between a 503A facility and a 503B facility is that a 503A facility is patient-specific as stated earlier. They are only able to batch 205 units per USP 797 guidelines, whereas a 503B facility may batch as much as they desire since it is for office use orders. A 503A facility is regulated by state boards of pharmacy and are exempt from adhering to Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP) required for mass production.”

“A 503B pharmacy is regulated by the FDA and required to comply with CGMP, ensuring higher production standards and consistency. This is suitable for hospitals, clinics, and healthcare systems needing large quantities of compounded medications,” explains Jonathan.

“We use both 503A and 503B pharmacies. Both are good quality. I do think there are better testing methodologies behind the 503B product, so I think they produce a superior product in my professional opinion,” according to Sam Tejada. For more information on 503Bs, the FDA offers a list of all the registered 503B compounding pharmacies in the United States.

After speaking with dozens of GLP-1 experts, there are conflicting opinions on compounded medication. On one hand, many doctors only recommend name-brand medications to their patients. Woman’s World recently spoke about this to Megahan Garcia-Webb, MD, a triple board-certified physician specializing in obesity medicine and producer of the YouTube series Weight Medicine with Dr. Meghan: “I don’t recommend compounded versions because they bypass the standard precautions, and there is no guarantee they are safe, not to mention effective.

“There are many oral and injectable options now that are FDA-approved, so it’s best to stick with medications that have been assessed by the standard safety/efficacy channels.”

On the other hand, many patients are getting results with compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide. Compounded semaglutide also provides two main benefits over its name-brand counterparts: Cost and availability. Compounded medication generally costs about 1/10th of its name-brand alternative if you’re paying out of pocket and is available during name-brand GLP-1 shortages.

Sam Tejada recommends compounded semaglutide because it allows patients the benefits of GLP-1 medication without the high cost of and sometimes limited availability of name-brand medication: One issue with the manufacturing of a high-demand product is that the pharmacies aren’t able to consistently fulfill the need, so the product is not always readily available. Additionally, the commercial product can be extremely expensive for consumers paying out of pocket.”

Name-brand GLP-1s pros and cons

Pros

• FDA-approved
• More testing done
• Potential for health insurance coverage

Cons

• More expensive
• Drug shortages
• Insurance approval can be difficult

Compounded medication pros and cons

Pros

• More readily available
• Less expensive
• The same ingredients as name-brand medication
• Compounders can customize the medication to the patient’s needs

Cons

• No insurance coverage
• Not FDA approved
• There is no guarantee they are safe or effective

Weight Loss

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While compounded GLP-1s have the same ingredients as name-brand medication, Sam Tejada says that compounders can customize the medication to the patient’s needs: “These compounded products also have the ability to be customized with other medications or different concentrations of the actual raw ingredients to fit the patient needs based off the personalized test results the doctor sees.”

Sam continues to explain that, “Some of the compounders will include B12 or BPC-157 in the mixture with the GLP-1 medication because GLP-1s can potentially make food difficult to break down and digest. Adding B12 or BPC-157 can be beneficial to the patient because B12 is shown to help with nausea that can come from the semaglutide and can also help with the weight loss process as it is a metabolite.”

If you decide to use a compounded medication, make sure you work with a qualified medical provider. You can learn more about the benefits and risks of compounding pharmacies here.

Woman’s World wants to hear YOUR experiences with semaglutide or your experiences with prescription weight loss or telehealth in general. Email us at reviews@womansworld.com, we’d love to talk to you.