Check the US label for each brand

Start with the exact FDA-approved product and the reason you are being prescribed it. Brand names from UK discussions cause confusion in the US. Check each tirzepatide and semaglutide product against its own US labelling. Two brands or formulations with the same active ingredient are not interchangeable. Your treatment discussion should cover the dose, presentation and approved use.

The FDA approved Foundayo on 1 April 2026 for weight reduction and long-term weight maintenance in qualifying adults, alongside diet and activity. US labelling also includes oral Wegovy. Neither fact guarantees insurance cover, a cash price, stock today or suitability for you. Search Drugs@FDA and read the current label. An old launch article may be out of date on today's authorised uses.

Your prescriber and your insurer make separate decisions

Ask the clinician whether the treatment is within the current product label and why the treatment suits you. Then ask the insurer whether the plan covers that exact product for that indication, whether prior authorisation applies, which records the insurer needs and whether you must use a particular dispensing pharmacy. A prescription may be clinically right even when the insurer refuses to pay. A successful benefits check does not replace a clinical assessment either.

Before you sign up to a programme, get a written breakdown of recurring clinical fees, medication costs and the pharmacy charge. Check what you owe while an insurance request is pending and after a denial. Compare one service's long-term price with another's long-term price. A promotional first month tells you little. If a savings programme is mentioned, read its eligibility rules and duration. The advertised figure is not open to every patient.

US residents face limits on buying abroad

The FDA generally restricts personal imports of foreign medicines that do not meet US approval requirements. Its discretionary policy gives residents no general exemption for buying three months of treatment abroad. A familiar foreign brand is not automatically an FDA-approved US product.

Separate FDA guidance lets foreign visitors bring a 90-day personal supply and lists supporting documents for shipments. Check the conditions for your status and trip. Visitor rules do not cover routine orders by residents. Plan storage and clinical continuity separately.

Check the service, the pharmacy and the product you receive

Check the prescriber and dispensing pharmacy on the relevant state professional registers. The online platform's brand may differ from the pharmacy preparing your order. Before you pay, ask for the pharmacy's legal name, physical address and a way to contact its pharmacist. When the parcel arrives, check the packaging against the prescription and keep the dispensing label and transaction record.

Take extra care when a programme uses words such as personalised, compounded or research. Ask directly whether you will receive an FDA-approved finished product, and why any alternative is on offer. An FDA-registered facility is a different thing from an FDA-approved medicine. A research-use label gives none of the assurance you expect from a medicine prescribed and dispensed for a patient.

Plan continuity before you start

Weight-management treatment is an ongoing clinical relationship. Ask who reviews your response and side effects, how dose decisions are made, what happens if supply is interrupted and who takes over when the original online clinician is unavailable. Tell the prescriber about your other medicines and any previous GLP-1 treatment. If you transfer care, keep an accurate record of your last dose.

If you spend time in several states or countries, ask whether the service can keep treating you while you are physically away. Make these arrangements before you travel. Do not count on a parcel arriving after your supply ends. The clinician may need a different plan for your location or treatment history. Never work out an equivalent dose by comparing the total milligrams in two different products.

Keep your paperwork and check the gaps

Keep the current prescription, the current product label, the pharmacy invoice and any written coverage decision. Between them they show what was prescribed, what the product is, who supplied the medicine and who pays. If a parcel looks wrong or its storage history is unclear, contact the dispensing pharmacist before use and keep the packaging.

State telemedicine rules, insurer policies, available strengths and sellers all vary, and the official announcements cited below do not cover them all. For oral Wegovy and Foundayo especially, check the latest US label and local supply arrangements before you buy. An approval announcement is one part of an informed decision.

Sources

Your own medicine leaflet and prescriber come first. A source from another country does not mean the same rule applies in the UK.

  1. FDA: personal importation fda.gov
  2. FDA: Foundayo approval fda.gov
  3. FDA: Wegovy labelling nctr-crs.fda.gov
  4. FDA: how to check approval fda.gov

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