- 503A pharmacy
- A state-licensed pharmacy that prepares compounded medications for an individual patient based on a specific prescription.
- 503B outsourcing facility
- A facility registered with the FDA that compounds drugs in larger batches under cGMP without patient-specific prescriptions.
- API
- Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient — the molecule that produces the therapeutic effect (e.g., semaglutide).
- ATDS
- Automatic Telephone Dialing System — a system that stores or produces phone numbers and dials them. Triggers TCPA prior-express-written-consent requirements when used for marketing.
- BMI
- Body Mass Index — weight (kg) divided by height (m) squared. A blunt instrument; useful as a starting point.
- cGMP
- Current Good Manufacturing Practice — FDA standards for drug manufacturing quality.
- cGMP-graded API
- Active ingredient produced under cGMP standards. The expected standard for compounded GLP-1 in the US.
- Comorbidity
- A medical condition occurring alongside another. In GLP-1 labeling, weight-related comorbidities include T2D, hypertension, dyslipidemia, OSA.
- Compounded medication
- A medication prepared by a pharmacist to meet a specific patient need. Distinct from a manufactured generic.
- CV outcomes trial
- A clinical trial that measures cardiovascular events (heart attack, stroke, CV death) as primary endpoints.
- DNC Registry
- The federal Do Not Call Registry at donotcall.gov. Marketers must scrub against it before placing cold calls.
- FDA shortage list
- FDA-published list of drugs in shortage. Compounding under 503A and 503B enforcement discretion is permitted while a drug is on the list.
- Fluid Compute
- Vercel’s compute model that reuses function instances across concurrent requests. Unrelated to GLP-1 but used elsewhere on this site.
- FTSA
- Florida Telephone Solicitation Act — a state law often called "mini-TCPA," with strict consent and STOP processing rules.
- Generic
- A non-brand version of a manufactured drug. There is no generic semaglutide or tirzepatide in the US.
- GIP
- Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide — the second incretin hormone targeted by tirzepatide.
- GLP-1
- Glucagon-like peptide-1 — a gut hormone targeted by semaglutide, tirzepatide, liraglutide, and others.
- HIPAA
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Does not apply to non-covered editorial sites; does apply to providers prescribing medication.
- Incretin
- A class of hormones that stimulate insulin release in response to food. GLP-1 and GIP are the major incretins.
- Lean mass
- Body mass excluding fat, including muscle and bone. Protecting it during weight loss requires resistance training and protein.
- LegitScript
- A certification program that verifies pharmacy legitimacy. Used as an industry baseline for compounded GLP-1 supply.
- MACE
- Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events — typically defined as CV death, non-fatal MI, and non-fatal stroke.
- MASH
- Metabolic dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis — the newer name for what was called NASH.
- Medullary thyroid carcinoma
- A rare thyroid cancer. Personal or family history is a contraindication for GLP-1 agonists.
- MEN-2
- Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 2. A contraindication for GLP-1 agonists.
- Mounjaro
- Brand name for tirzepatide, approved for type 2 diabetes.
- NEJM
- New England Journal of Medicine. Major venue for GLP-1 pivotal trial publications.
- Off-label
- Prescribing a medication for an indication not on its FDA-approved label. Legal under a licensed prescriber’s clinical judgment.
- OSA
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea — a sleep disorder treatable in part with GLP-1 therapy per SURMOUNT-OSA.
- Ozempic
- Brand name for semaglutide, approved for type 2 diabetes.
- PCAB
- Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board. A voluntary accreditation that signals quality controls beyond LegitScript.
- PCOS
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome — often involves insulin resistance and weight challenges.
- Pen
- A pre-filled multi-dose injector device. Used for brand semaglutide and tirzepatide.
- Plateau
- A period of stalled weight loss despite continued treatment. Often resolvable with titration, diet review, or training adjustments.
- Prior Express Written Consent
- The TCPA-required form of consent for marketing calls/texts to wireless numbers using ATDS. Cannot be pre-checked.
- Rubric
- Our v3.0 six-pillar scoring framework for ranking GLP-1 providers.
- Rybelsus
- Brand name for oral semaglutide, approved for type 2 diabetes.
- SELECT
- The cardiovascular outcomes trial of semaglutide in adults with overweight/obesity and established CVD.
- Sema/tirz
- Industry shorthand for semaglutide / tirzepatide.
- Semaglutide
- A GLP-1 receptor agonist molecule. Marketed as Ozempic (T2D), Wegovy (weight), and Rybelsus (oral T2D).
- SOA
- Standard of authority — a phrase used in editorial reviews to characterize how confidently we make a claim.
- STEP
- The pivotal trial program for semaglutide in weight management.
- STOP / HELP keywords
- SMS opt-out and help replies required under industry messaging standards.
- SURMOUNT
- The pivotal trial program for tirzepatide in weight management.
- SURPASS
- The pivotal trial program for tirzepatide in type 2 diabetes.
- SUSTAIN
- The pivotal trial program for semaglutide in type 2 diabetes.
- T2D
- Type 2 Diabetes.
- TCPA
- Telephone Consumer Protection Act — the federal statute governing telemarketing calls and texts.
- Telehealth
- Healthcare delivery via phone, video, and messaging without an in-person visit.
- Tirzepatide
- A dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist. Marketed as Mounjaro (T2D) and Zepbound (weight).
- Titration
- The gradual dose-increase schedule for GLP-1 medications. Designed to limit side effects.
- UA
- User agent — the identifier a browser or bot sends with each HTTP request.
- USP <797>
- United States Pharmacopeia standard governing sterile compounding.
- Wegovy
- Brand name for semaglutide, approved for chronic weight management.
- Wholesale acquisition cost
- The list price a manufacturer charges wholesalers. Different from the price patients actually pay.
- Zepbound
- Brand name for tirzepatide, approved for chronic weight management.