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Guide · 7 min read

What "compounded" means for a peptide's price, and why some can't be prescribed

Most peptide prices on this site are for compounded products. That one word decides who makes it, who checks it, what it costs and whether a pharmacy may make it at all.

By Jenna Pratt, consumer-access reporter · September 2026

The short answer

A compounded peptide is made by a pharmacy for an individual prescription, and it is not FDA-approved, so each seller sets its own price for its own preparation. A pharmacy may compound a peptide only if it has a USP monograph, is a component of an FDA-approved drug, or sits on the FDA's 503A list, with Category 1 substances allowed under an interim policy. Peptides outside those routes, including BPC-157, cannot be compounded under that policy, and this site prints no price for them.

01What "compounded" means when you are the one paying

The FDA describes a compounded drug as one prepared for a patient who cannot be treated with an FDA-approved medication. It is plain about the consequence: compounded drugs are not FDA-approved, and the agency does not verify their safety, effectiveness or quality before they are sold[1].

For your bill, that means there is no single approved product to compare against. Every telehealth seller is pricing its own pharmacy's preparation, its own clinician's time and its own shipping, so two sellers can charge very different amounts for the same peptide.

It also means the pharmacy matters. The FDA warns that people who buy compounded drugs through telehealth platforms may not know which compounder made them, so ask the seller to name its pharmacy before you pay[1].

02Two kinds of compounding pharmacy

Federal law recognizes two settings, and the difference is worth asking about because it changes which quality rules apply to the vial that reaches your door[1].

503A and 503B compounders, as the FDA describes them
503A pharmacy503B outsourcing facility
Who oversees itMainly the state board of pharmacyMainly the FDA, on a risk-based inspection schedule
Manufacturing standardNot held to current good manufacturing practice (CGMP)Held to CGMP requirements

Neither kind makes the product FDA-approved, but a seller that names a 503B facility is telling you something a seller that names nobody is not.

03Which peptides a pharmacy may compound

A 503A pharmacy may compound from a bulk substance only if the substance has a USP or NF monograph, is a component of an FDA-approved drug, or appears on the FDA's 503A bulks list[2].

Because that list is still being built, the FDA sorts nominated substances into three categories[2]. Only Category 1 is covered by the interim policy, under which the agency does not intend to act against a pharmacy for compounding it[2].

  • Category 1: under evaluation, and compoundable under the interim policy. NAD, glutathione and GHK-Cu (except for injectable routes) are on it[3].
  • Category 2: the FDA has identified significant safety risks and would consider taking action against a compounder that uses the substance[2].
  • Category 3: nominated without enough supporting information for the FDA to evaluate, and outside the Category 1 policy[2].

Sermorelin reaches pharmacies by the second route rather than the list, because it is a component of GEREF, a drug the FDA approved and then determined was not withdrawn for reasons of safety or effectiveness[4].

04Why some peptides can't be prescribed at all

On the list FDA updated May 14, 2026, the 503A Category 2 entries are cesium chloride, domperidone, germanium sesquioxide, ibutamoren mesylate, kisspeptin-10, and quinacrine hydrochloride for intrauterine use[3].

BPC-157 is not in Category 2 any longer, but that is not a clearance. The FDA lists it among substances whose nominations were withdrawn, and it notes immunogenicity risk, impurity concerns and too little safety information to know whether it would cause harm in people[5].

With no monograph, no approved drug behind it and no place in Category 1, BPC-157 falls outside every route above, and the same is true of MOTS-c, which the FDA lists in the same withdrawn group[5].

That is why this site prints no price and names no seller for either one. A price beside a peptide outside every compounding route would invite a purchase the FDA's rules do not cover.

05Where each peptide on this site stands

Regulatory status of every compound on this site
CompoundStatus hereSource
SemaglutideFDA-approved drugaccessdata.fda.gov, read September 2026
TirzepatideFDA-approved drugaccessdata.fda.gov, read September 2026
LiraglutideFDA-approved drugaccessdata.fda.gov, read September 2026
OrforglipronFDA-approved drugaccessdata.fda.gov, read September 2026
SermorelinCompoundablefederalregister.gov, read September 2026
NAD+Compoundablefda.gov, read September 2026
GlutathioneCompoundablefda.gov, read September 2026
GHK-CuCompoundable (topical, nasal spray, oral, sublingual only)fda.gov, read September 2026
PT-141FDA-approved drugaccessdata.fda.gov, read September 2026
TesamorelinFDA-approved as a brand only: compounded versions not pricedfda.gov, read September 2026; FDA notice to compounders (March 23, 2020); Drugs@FDA, application 022505; Egrifta WR label (DailyMed)
MOTS-cNot compoundable: not pricedfda.gov, read September 2026; PharmExec (vote counts); NCPA (outcome)
BPC-157Not compoundable: not pricedfda.gov, read September 2026; PharmExec (vote counts); NCPA (outcome)
KisspeptinNot compoundable: not pricedfda.gov, read September 2026; FDA, safety risks of certain bulk drug substances (Category 2 date and reason)

Every status in that table is read from the source it links, with the date it was read, and a status changes here only after the source is read again.

06What to ask before you pay

  • Which pharmacy compounds it, and is it a 503A pharmacy or a 503B outsourcing facility?
  • Is the price for a month, a vial or a kit, and how many milligrams does that unit hold?
  • What will I be billed in month two, once the consult and any introductory discount are gone?

A seller that answers all three in writing has given you enough to compare it with anyone else, and our price boards and reviews are built from exactly those answers.

Where to buy Sermorelin

Lowest injection prices
  1. 1Alternate Health ClubPriced, not reviewed$99/moGet price →
  2. 2Bayan HealthPriced, not reviewed$99/moGet price →
  3. 3CoreAge RxPartnerOur review$99/moGet price →

Medication price as each seller publishes it, before fees. The full Sermorelin price board

FAQ

3 questions

Is a compounded peptide the same as a generic?

No. The FDA distinguishes the two: a generic is an approved drug shown to be equivalent to a brand, while a compounded drug is not approved at all.

Can a telehealth prescribe BPC-157?

BPC-157 is on none of the routes that let a 503A pharmacy compound it, so it is outside the FDA's interim policy, and this site does not price or link any seller for it.

Does a 503B facility make a peptide FDA-approved?

No. A 503B outsourcing facility is held to stricter manufacturing rules and FDA inspection, but what it makes is still a compounded drug, not an approved one.

Sources

  1. [1]Food and Drug Administration. Compounding and the FDA: questions and answers. FDA, 2026. fda.gov · read September 2026
  2. [2]Food and Drug Administration. Bulk drug substances used in compounding under section 503A of the FD&C Act. FDA, 2026. fda.gov · read September 2026
  3. [3]Food and Drug Administration. Bulk drug substances nominated for use in compounding under section 503A (categories 1, 2 and 3), updated May 14, 2026. FDA, 2026. fda.gov · read September 2026
  4. [4]Food and Drug Administration. Determination that GEREF (sermorelin acetate) injection was not withdrawn from sale for reasons of safety or effectiveness. Federal Register, 2013-04827, 2013. federalregister.gov · read September 2026
  5. [5]Food and Drug Administration. Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks. FDA, 2026. fda.gov · read September 2026

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