Tirzepatide Compounding Pharmacies: Legal Status, Checks

Compounded tirzepatide is not FDA approved. The shortage ended on December 19, 2024, and state pharmacies had to stop making copies by February 18, 2025. The brand now starts at $299 a month self-pay.

Prescription: Required
Lowest self-pay: $299 a month
Telehealth from, all in: $373 a month
Shortage: Resolved

Zepbound: key facts

How long the body keeps it

Its half-life is 5 to 6 days. By 5.5 d, half is gone, and about 3% remains following five half-lives (27.5 d).

Main trial: weight loss

In SURMOUNT-1 over 72 weeks, the result was 20.9% of body weight, compared with 3.1% on placebo.

Price as time goes on

The Monthly amounts are stated in US dollars. They cover list prices and self-pay offers, with each taken from the maker's price page.

Sources: FDA label (DailyMed), Eli Lilly 1 2, cnbc.com.

Every legitimate route to tirzepatide, ranked

How to get it, starting with the cheapest
Route	Who it is for	What you pay
Mounjaro: A route through your doctor, your insurance, and the savings card	Commercial insurance that covers it	As little as $25 for up to a 3-month fill
For Zepbound: A route through your doctor, your insurance, and the savings card	Commercial insurance that covers it	As little as $25 for up to a 3-month fill
Zepbound: LillyDirect: LillyDirect vial or KwikPen 2.5 mg	Anyone with a prescription, no insurance needed	$299 a month
Zepbound: TrumpRx listing (vial, starting)	Self-pay only	$299 a month
Zepbound: Walmart Pharmacy: LillyDirect self-pay (lowest dose)	Cash at the pharmacy counter	$299 a month
Telehealth: WeightWatchers Med+, Zepbound (self-pay)	Online visit, medicine shipped	$373 a month all in
Compounded copy: Mochi Health	Not FDA approved; ranked last for that reason	$90 a month

Prices checked November 2026. Every price points to the page where it comes from.

Sources: pricinginfo.lilly.com, mounjaro.lilly.com, GoodRx, zepbound.lilly.com.

Who qualifies

All GLP-1 medicines sold in the US require a prescription. A prescriber writes it for a use the label approves:

Mounjaro: With diet and exercise, it lowers blood sugar for children 10 and older and for adults with type 2 diabetes.
Mounjaro: Adults with type 2 diabetes who are high-risk see a lower chance of a heart attack, stroke, or heart-related death.
Zepbound: Alongside diet and activity, it helps adults with obesity lose weight and maintain that loss over time, as well as overweight adults with a weight-related condition.
Zepbound: Moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity is treated with this medicine.

Source: FDA label (DailyMed).

Telehealth options compared

Telehealth programs for tirzepatide
Program	Medicine option	Medicine price	Membership	All in
WeightWatchers Med+	Zepbound (self-pay)	$299 a month	$74 a month	$373 a month
Ro	Zepbound KwikPen, starting dose	$299 a month	$149 a month	$448 a month
Hims & Hers	Zepbound	$1,899 a month	$149 a month after first month	$2,048 a month
Hims & Hers	Mounjaro	$1,899 a month	$149 a month after first month	$2,048 a month
Mochi Health	Compounded tirzepatide (not FDA approved)	$90 a month	$79 a month after free first month	$169 a month
Found	Compounded GLP-1 plan (not FDA approved)	$99 a month	$169 a month cash	$268 a month
Noom Med	GLP-1Rx Plus Program: the compounded GLP-1 and GIP offered have no FDA approval	$299 a month after first 4 weeks, billed quarterly	Not listed	Included

Each price comes from that program's own pricing page. No money comes to us from any of them.

Sources: weightwatchers.com, ro.co, hims.com, joinmochi.com.

Shortage status

Tirzepatide: Shortage resolved. FDA gave its confirmation on December 19, 2024.

First date it showed up on The FDA shortage list: December 15, 2022
Shortage resolved: December 19, 2024
On February 18, 2025, State pharmacies had to end production of compounded copies
On March 19, 2025, Outsourcing facilities had to stop

Source: FDA.

Scam signals

No prescription needed: sellers that skip prescriptions have no US pharmacy license.
Brand pricing well under what the manufacturer charges: the lowest self-pay price is $299 a month, from.
Compounded drugs sold as the brand: they have no FDA approval, so none of them is Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro nor Zepbound.
Calling it equal to the brand: FDA sent 30 warning letters to telehealth companies over misleading claims.
Harm reports: The FDA has more than 730 adverse event reports linked to compounded tirzepatide.
Monthly pricing that omits the drug itself led one program to face FTC action; see the NextMed review.

Sources: pricinginfo.lilly.com, mounjaro.lilly.com, GoodRx, zepbound.lilly.com.

Where to get it in your state

Hims & Hers: Service is not available in all 50 states
Noom Med: Not offered in every one of the 50 states
NovoCare Pharmacy: All 50 states, plus DC, Puerto Rico, are covered through its delivery network

The route changes the most under Medicaid rules. of everything that matters, Medicaid rules shape your route most. For weight loss, Medicaid programs in 10 states cover GLP-1s now. Choose your state to check the prior authorization rules and drug list that apply:

Sources: hims.com, noom.com, NovoCare.