A GLP-1 telehealth program is three businesses in one: a clinician who has to evaluate you and decide whether to prescribe, a pharmacy that fills the prescription, and a membership that bills you. Knowing which of the three you're paying for, and checking each against FDA's own warning signs, tells you more than the headline price [1].
What GLP-1 telehealth is
It's an online visit with a licensed clinician, a prescription if you qualify, and a pharmacy that ships the drug. The visit may be a video call, a phone call or a written medical questionnaire reviewed by a clinician. The prescription can be for a brand-name drug or a compounded one. The pharmacy can be a regular retail or mail-order pharmacy, or a compounding pharmacy.
The membership is the part that varies most. Some programs charge one monthly price that includes the drug. Others charge a membership on top of the drug, or bill the visit separately. That's why two programs with the same drug can cost very different amounts each month.
The route decides what's in the box and who checks it
| Route | What you get | FDA-approved? | Who fills it | Price context | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand through a telehealth program | Wegovy, Zepbound or Foundayo for weight; Ozempic or Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes | Yes | Licensed retail or mail-order pharmacy | Insurance, a maker program or cash; telehealth brand-access plans run $199–$1,349/mo (Wegovy) and $299–$1,828/mo (Zepbound) a month | Wegovy · Zepbound |
| Brand through the maker's self-pay program, after a prescription | Zepbound vials or KwikPen (LillyDirect); Wegovy pens or pills (NovoCare) | Yes | The maker's partner pharmacy | Zepbound from $299 a month at the starting dose; Wegovy pill from $149; Wegovy pen $349 after an intro offer | Zepbound cost · Wegovy cost |
| Compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide | A pharmacy-made version of the molecule, usually in a vial | No | A compounding pharmacy (503A) or an outsourcing facility (503B) | Programs on this site charge $75–$349/mo (semaglutide) and $85–$433/mo (tirzepatide) a month | Compounded semaglutide · compounded tirzepatide |
Maker prices from LillyDirect and NovoCare. Program price ranges update from each program's own site.
The maker prices have conditions. On LillyDirect, Zepbound costs $299 a month at 2.5 mg and $399 at 5 mg; the higher doses are $449 "when you refill within 45 days," and otherwise $499 or $699 [4]. Lilly notes that 2.5 mg is a starting dose. On NovoCare, the Wegovy pill starts at $149 a month, and new patients pay $199 for each of their first two monthly fills of the two lowest pen doses through December 31, 2026, "then $349 per month" [5]. Novo says that pricing will be updated after December 31, 2026.
A legitimate program asks the questions the drug labels require
The labels of the GLP-1 brands list who shouldn't take them and which situations need care. A real evaluation covers those points before a prescription is written. FDA lists "does not require a screening and prescription by a licensed doctor" as a red flag [1].
- Thyroid history. A personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, or MEN 2, rules out all five brands [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]. See Wegovy and thyroid cancer.
- Pregnancy plans. Wegovy's and Ozempic's labels say to stop at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy; Zepbound's and Foundayo's say to stop when pregnancy is recognized [6] [7] [8] [10].
- Birth-control pills. Tirzepatide and Foundayo can make oral contraceptives less reliable for a period after starting and after each dose increase [8] [10].
- Stomach and pancreas. Severe gastroparesis is a caution on the labels, and pancreatitis is a listed warning [7] [9].
- Other diabetes medicines. Insulin or a sulfonylurea raises the risk of low blood sugar with any of these drugs [7] [9].
Expect questions about your weight history, other medicines and existing conditions, and sometimes a request for recent lab results. A program that skips all of this and goes straight to checkout is skipping the part that makes it medical care.
Who fills the prescription matters as much as who writes it
Brand GLP-1s come from licensed retail or mail-order pharmacies. Compounded versions come from compounding pharmacies, and FDA doesn't approve what they make. There are two kinds. A 503A pharmacy is a state-licensed pharmacy that compounds for individual patients' prescriptions; a 503B outsourcing facility can make larger batches [2].
Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide skip FDA approval: no one at FDA judges whether a product is safe, whether it works or how well it was made before the pharmacy sends it out [1]. That puts more weight on knowing which pharmacy made yours. Some programs name their pharmacies on their own sites. Embody lists four state-licensed 503A pharmacies on its product page [12]. Midi Health names its compounding pharmacy in its terms [13], and PeterMD names two pharmacies in its terms [14].
If a program doesn't name its pharmacy, ask. Once you know it, you can look the pharmacy up with your state board of pharmacy. FDA's red flags include a pharmacy name on the label "that you think might be fraudulent" and incorrect pharmacy addresses [1].
FDA publishes seven warning signs for telehealth GLP-1 offers
| Red flag (FDA's wording) | What to check instead |
|---|---|
| "makes claims such as the compounded drug is the same as an FDA-approved drug" | Compounded and brand drugs are different products; ask which one you're getting |
| "offers medicine at deep discounts or prices that seem too good to be true" | Compare against the maker's self-pay prices and the range on this site |
| "sends medicine that looks different than what you've previously received … or arrives in packaging that is broken or damaged or lacks instructions for use" | Don't use it; contact the program and the pharmacy |
| "does not require a screening and prescription by a licensed doctor before providing medicine" | Expect a medical questionnaire or visit before any prescription |
| "does not have a licensed doctor available to answer questions after you receive your medication" | Ask how you reach a clinician after delivery |
| "makes spelling errors on the label or provides incorrect addresses of the pharmacy" | Check the label against the pharmacy's license record |
| "includes a pharmacy name on the label that you think might be fraudulent" | Look the pharmacy up with your state board of pharmacy |
FDA, "FDA's Concerns with Unapproved GLP-1 Drugs Used for Weight Loss."
Both shortages are over, so compounding now runs under narrower rules
FDA declared the tirzepatide shortage resolved in a decision dated December 19, 2024, and the semaglutide shortage resolved on February 21, 2025 [2]. The grace periods for state-licensed pharmacies ended February 18, 2025 for tirzepatide and April 22, 2025 for semaglutide. For outsourcing facilities they ended March 19, 2025 and May 22, 2025. FDA's April 2026 update says neither drug appears on its shortage list.
Compounding hasn't stopped, but it's narrower. FDA says it won't act against a compounder for making a drug that is "essentially a copy" of an approved one if the compounder fills four or fewer such prescriptions in a calendar month [2]. A prescriber can also document a change that makes a significant difference for an individual patient. On May 1, 2026, FDA proposed not adding semaglutide, tirzepatide or liraglutide to the list that outsourcing facilities may compound from in bulk; as of October 19, 2026, no final decision had been published [3]. The details are in is compounded tirzepatide still available and will compounded semaglutide be banned.
Costs split into the drug, the membership and sometimes labs
Compare the whole monthly total, not the advertised number. Ask whether the price covers the drug at every dose, whether it rises as your dose goes up, and whether visits or lab work cost extra. The cost guides for compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide break this down by program, and the monthly cost calculator turns any plan's billing into one monthly figure.
If you're on Medicare, the GLP-1 Bridge charges $50 a month for Wegovy, Zepbound KwikPen or Foundayo for weight management if you qualify [11]. See Medicare coverage for Ozempic and the Bridge.
Ask who prescribes, who fills it, what's included and how to cancel
- Who reviews my intake, and are they licensed in my state?
- Is this an FDA-approved brand or a compounded drug?
- Which pharmacy fills it, and is it a 503A pharmacy or a 503B outsourcing facility?
- What does the monthly price include, and does it change at higher doses?
- How do I reach a clinician after the medicine arrives?
- How do I pause or cancel, and is there a minimum commitment?
Programs that answer these on their own site make the check easy. Our scored lists of compounded semaglutide programs and compounded tirzepatide programs show how each one fares, sorted by score as explained in how we score. Step-by-step access is covered in how to get compounded semaglutide and where to get compounded tirzepatide. Pills are covered in oral semaglutide and on the orforglipron (Foundayo) guide.