What proves a product is an approved medicine?

Does a government drug code prove approval?

An NDC (National Drug Code) is a way to identify a listed product, as of September 26, 2026. Having that code does not prove the drug is approved.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says a directory entry does not mean it verified the information or approved the product.

Drugs@FDA is the government’s online list of drug applications, where you can check whether a medicine has an approved entry.

Ask the clinician to open Drugs@FDA using the chapter-note link below. Ask them to point out where the entry says the medicine is approved. Match the entry’s full medicine name and form, such as shot or tablet, to the product being offered.

Is compounded the same as generic?

A generic is a copy of a brand medicine; the copy has been approved.

A compounded medicine is prepared as a custom order.

As of September 26, 2026, FDA calls descriptions of compounded drugs as generic or equivalent to approved products false or misleading.

No approved, marketable generic semaglutide or tirzepatide existed in the United States as of September 26, 2026.

Ask whether the proposed product is actually approved or is instead made to order.

What about research peptides I have heard of?

BPC-157 and ipamorelin are names of peptides offered online. A name alone does not explain what a product can do for you.

Retatrutide and cagrilintide are drug names. FDA discusses them in its warning about weight-loss medicines that have not been approved.

As of September 26, 2026, FDA application records had no approved US product for BPC-157, ipamorelin or retatrutide.

As of September 26, 2026, FDA also said federal law does not allow retatrutide or cagrilintide to be made into medicines by compounding, which means making medicine to order.

These are separate questions: has the medicine been approved, and may a pharmacy make it to order? Finding no approval is not, by itself, an answer to the compounding question. If someone offers one of these names, ask what they claim it will do and what evidence supports that claim.

What answer can I ask for?

Try: please show me the approved entry in Drugs@FDA for this exact medicine. Explain how its name and type match what you are offering. If you only show me a badge or drug code, I still need an answer about approval.