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Compounded GLP-1: half the clinicians had not heard of the guidance

Asked about compounded GLP-1 products, 51% of responding clinicians and pharmacists knew the 2024 guidance. Most reported low confidence and no experience.

Carla Medina5 min read
Who answered, and what they knewsurveys sent523analyzed9951% knew the 2024 guidance. 49% did not.One health system, December 2025. Attitudes, not product evidence.

If you are buying a compounded product and plan to mention it to a doctor or pharmacist, this is a survey about what that person is likely to know. It is not a survey about the products, which is a different question with its own contested evidence.

What was asked, and of whom

A fourteen-item survey went to clinicians and pharmacists who regularly care for patients prescribed a GLP-1 or dual agonist across one multi-site health system. [1] 523 were distributed and 99 eligible responses were analyzed.

Under a fifth replied, which matters more than usual here: a survey about a contested product attracts people who have an opinion about it. The 99 are not a random fifth of the 523, and nothing in the design makes them one.

What they said

51% knew about the 2024 American Diabetes Association guidance statement on compounded GLP-1 and dual agonist products. Just under half did not.

A majority reported low confidence in these products’ safety and had not incorporated them into practice, citing safety, efficacy, legality and gaps in their own knowledge. Many asked for more education — which is a fair request, given how little of the clinical evidence on copies exists to teach.

What the authors expect

That compounded use continues despite regulatory changes and is likely to persist, and that knowledge gaps may be limiting appropriate use even while clinicians recognize the cost and access argument for these products.

That is a more careful position than either side of this usually takes. Compounded products exist because the branded ones are unaffordable for most of the people who qualify, which is the finding behind most eligible patients declining on price, and pretending the demand is irrational does not make it go away.

What a buyer does with it

Expect to be the more informed party in the conversation, and do not read a clinician’s hesitation as a verdict on your particular product.

The thing worth establishing is the dispensing route, because which kind of pharmacy prepared it determines what oversight applied, and that is a question with an answer rather than an opinion. One health system in one month is not a national picture, and regulation here moves faster than survey research does.

Frequently asked

Do clinicians know about compounded GLP-1 products?
Among 99 respondents in one health system, 51% were aware of the 2024 American Diabetes Association guidance. Just under half were not.
Does low clinician confidence mean the products are unsafe?
No. It is evidence about what professionals believe and how familiar they are, not about what is in a vial.
How representative is the survey?
523 surveys produced 99 analyzed responses — under a fifth — from a single multi-site health system in December 2025. People with an opinion are likelier to answer.
What do the authors expect to happen?
That compounded use persists despite regulatory changes, and that clinicians recognize the cost and access argument even while lacking confidence in the products.

Sources

  1. [1] Umbreit A, et al. (2026). Assessing Awareness, Confidence and Utilization of Compounded GLP-1 and Dual GIP/GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Among Healthcare Clinicians and Pharmacists: A Comprehensive Survey Study Journal of Primary Care & Community Health. PMID 42670579

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