Where Semaglutide Stands on the FDA Drug Shortage List
A running summary of how the FDA has classified semaglutide injection availability, and why the shortage designation has downstream effects on compounding.
By the GLP Semaglutide editorial team · Last updated August 10, 2026
The FDA's drug shortage database has been a focal point for the semaglutide market since 2022, because a drug's shortage status determines whether outside compounding pharmacies may legally prepare versions of it under federal law.
Timeline
Semaglutide injection products were added to the FDA shortage list in 2022 amid surging demand for weight management. Novo Nordisk expanded manufacturing capacity over the following two years. In 2024 and into 2025, the FDA resolved the shortage designation for most semaglutide dose strengths, which narrowed the legal basis compounders had relied on.
Litigation and industry pushback followed, with compounding pharmacy trade groups challenging the shortage resolution in court. Status can and does change — always check the FDA's shortage database directly for the current, authoritative listing rather than relying on secondary summaries, including this one.
Why it matters to consumers
When a drug is off the shortage list, large-scale compounding of a copy of that drug is generally no longer permitted under the relevant federal exemptions, though narrower, patient-specific compounding can still occur for individual medical reasons (for example, a documented allergy to an inactive ingredient in the brand-name product).