Short answer
The word says what a substance is made of, not whether it has been tested and approved
As of September 2026, the words “peptide therapy” do not tell you whether a product is FDA-approved, compounded, or an unapproved drug.
Start by placing the offer in the right lane.
Lane: approved
A finished medicine with an FDA review
Semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy) is one example. The generic name is semaglutide. The other names are brands.
Lane: made to order
A pharmacy or doctor prepares a medicine for a patient
Compounding is custom mixing: a pharmacist or doctor prepares the medicine for one patient rather than handing over a finished product a drug company made.
A compounded medicine can have a valid medical role. It has not gone through FDA approval.
Lane: research product
A label does not turn a chemical into care
As of September 2026, some websites sell peptides labelled “research use only.”
When the seller is really selling them for people to use, FDA treats them as unapproved drugs, and its warning letters go to the seller.
Buying one yourself does not count as a lawful route to treatment.