Key terms, in plain English
Twenty-four definitions in three families: the drugs, the pharmacy law, and the pricing mechanics sellers hope you won’t decode.
Tirzepatide
A dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist. The FDA-approved brands are Mounjaro (type 2 diabetes) and Zepbound (weight management, OSA).
Semaglutide
A GLP-1 receptor agonist. FDA-approved brands: Ozempic and Rybelsus (diabetes), Wegovy (weight management).
GLP-1 receptor agonist
A drug that mimics the gut hormone GLP-1, slowing gastric emptying and reducing appetite signaling.
GIP
Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide; tirzepatide's second receptor target, part of why its trial weight-loss averages exceed single-agonist drugs.
Dual agonist
A molecule active at two receptors — for tirzepatide, GLP-1 and GIP.
Compounded medication
A drug prepared by a licensed pharmacy for a specific prescription rather than manufactured under an FDA approval. Not FDA-reviewed for safety, effectiveness, or quality.
503A pharmacy
A state-licensed pharmacy compounding per-patient on individual prescriptions — the only pathway remaining for GLP-1 compounding after the shortage resolutions.
503B outsourcing facility
An FDA-registered facility that could compound in bulk during the shortage; GLP-1 bulk compounding wound down by March 19, 2025.
Shortage resolution
FDA declared the tirzepatide shortage resolved December 2024 and semaglutide February 21, 2025, ending shortage-era compounding permissions.
Essentially a copy
The FDA concept limiting compounded versions of approved drugs unless a prescriber documents a clinically meaningful difference for that patient.
Personalized dosing
Seller framing for non-standard doses used to justify post-shortage compounding — the contested gray zone in current litigation.
Boxed warning
FDA's strongest label warning; for this class, thyroid C-cell tumors in rodents and contraindication with MTC or MEN 2 history.
MEN 2
Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 2, a hereditary syndrome that contraindicates GLP-1/GIP therapy.
Titration
The scheduled dose escalation (e.g., 2.5 → 15 mg tirzepatide) over months; where entry-dose pricing quietly becomes expensive.
Dose ladder
A program's price at each dose step. Flat-at-every-dose structures don't climb it; entry-dose 'from' pricing does.
True month
Our unit: 30.4375 days. Every price on this site is restated to it before comparison.
4-week billing
A 28-day cycle that charges 13.04 times a year — about 8.7% more annually than the same sticker billed monthly.
Membership stacking
A recurring platform fee billed beside the medication fee; the all-in price is the sum.
All-in price
One figure covering medication, consult, supplies, and shipping. Always request it at your dose, in writing.
Entry-dose pricing
A 'from' price valid only at the lowest dose. Fine if labeled; a trap if compared against all-in figures.
SURMOUNT-1
The pivotal Zepbound trial (NEJM 2022): ~20.9% mean weight loss at 15 mg over 72 weeks, brand product.
SURMOUNT-5
The 2025 brand head-to-head: tirzepatide ~20.2% vs semaglutide ~13.7% over 72 weeks; manufacturer-funded, open-label, brand products only.
LegitScript
A certification program for healthcare merchants; a seal displayed on a site should be confirmed in LegitScript's own directory.
Provenance
On this site: the source and dated check attached to every price — First-party, Reported, or Queued.