Start with your own doctor and insurance: they can prescribe brand-name GLP-1s, Medicare now covers some for a $50 copay through the GLP-1 Bridge, and the CDC's National Diabetes Prevention Program is a free lifestyle option. Online, Ro is our top pick because it prescribes only FDA-approved drugs at the manufacturers' cash prices, and WeightWatchers adds a food and habit program. Compare the program fee and the medication cost separately, and know that compounded GLP-1s are not FDA approved.
This guide is for adults weighing an online program for prescription GLP-1 medication such as Wegovy, Zepbound or Foundayo. Every program here requires a medical evaluation by a licensed prescriber, and none of this is medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a GLP-1 is right for you.
The biggest choice is the drug itself. Brand-name GLP-1s are FDA approved and can be covered by insurance or Medicare. Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide are not FDA approved, and the shortages that allowed wide compounding ended in 2024 and 2025. Several telehealth companies have since received FDA warning letters over how they market compounded drugs.
Below you will find free and public options first, each program's fee and medication cost listed separately, manufacturer cash prices, what changed for compounded drugs, and the companies we removed and why.
Start with your doctor, your insurance and free programs
Before you pay a telehealth membership, check the routes that may cost less or nothing.
- Your own doctor. GLP-1s are prescription drugs, so you need a medical evaluation by a licensed prescriber either way. Your primary care doctor already knows your history and other medicines, can bill your insurance and can send a prescription to NovoCare Pharmacy or LillyDirect if you pay cash.
- Your health plan. Call the number on your card and ask whether Wegovy, Zepbound or Foundayo is on the formulary for weight management and what prior authorization requires. Many plans limit or exclude coverage.
- Medicare. Starting July 1, 2026, the temporary Medicare GLP-1 Bridge covers Wegovy (pen or pill), Foundayo and the Zepbound KwikPen for a $50 monthly copayment if you have Part D and meet BMI and health requirements. Your provider must request prior authorization and certify that you are in a diet and exercise program.
- Medicaid. Each state runs its own Medicaid drug coverage, so ask your state program whether it covers GLP-1s for weight management.
- Free lifestyle programs. The CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program offers yearlong lifestyle change classes in person and online for people with prediabetes or at risk of type 2 diabetes. Medicare Part B covers the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program at no cost if you qualify.
Program fee vs medication cost
Most online programs charge two things: a program or membership fee for the clinician and support, and the medication itself. Some compounded programs fold both into one price. Prices below are as listed October 2026.
| Program |
Program fee |
Medication |
| Ro |
$74 to $149 a month |
Brand cash $149 to $449 a month, or insurance |
| WeightWatchers Med+ |
$74 to $84 a month after a $25 first month |
Insurance or cash, not included |
| Noom |
From $39 (brand route) |
Insurance, cash or Medicare Bridge $50; compounded bundles $199 to $349 |
| Mochi Health |
$49 to $79 a month, or $199 a year with covered insurance |
Compounded from $60; brands from $149 |
| Brightmeds |
None |
Compounded $99 to $149 all-in |
| Fridays |
None on compounded plans |
Compounded $150 to $359 all-in; Zepbound $1,828 |
Ask for the full yearly cost, including what happens to the price as your dose changes and whether an intro rate ends.
Brand-name GLP-1 prices direct from the manufacturers
If you have a prescription and no coverage, both drugmakers sell brand-name GLP-1s for cash. You still need a licensed prescriber, who can be your own doctor.
- Wegovy pill (NovoCare Pharmacy): $149 a month for 1.5 mg, $199 for 4 mg and $299 for 9 mg and 25 mg.
- Wegovy pen (NovoCare Pharmacy): $199 a month for the first two fills of 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg for new patients through December 31, 2026, then $349 a month, and $399 for Wegovy HD 7.2 mg.
- Zepbound KwikPen (Lilly self-pay): $299 a month for 2.5 mg, $399 for 5 mg and $449 for 7.5 mg to 15 mg.
- With commercial insurance: both companies offer savings cards that can bring the cost to as little as $25 a month; government beneficiaries are excluded from the Novo Nordisk card.
FDA approved the Wegovy tablet on December 22, 2025 and Foundayo (orforglipron) tablets on April 1, 2026, according to the Drugs@FDA database. Prices are as listed October 2026 and can change.
Compounded GLP-1s after the shortage ended
Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide are made by pharmacies, not the drugmakers. FDA says they do not go through FDA review for safety, effectiveness or quality and are not FDA approved.
Pharmacies could make copies widely while the brand drugs were in shortage. That period is over:
- Tirzepatide: FDA confirmed the shortage was resolved on December 19, 2024. Its grace period ended February 18, 2025 for state-licensed 503A pharmacies and March 19, 2025 for 503B outsourcing facilities.
- Semaglutide: FDA declared the shortage resolved on February 21, 2025. Its grace period ended April 22, 2025 for 503A pharmacies and May 22, 2025 for 503B facilities.
Now a 503A pharmacy may not regularly make drugs that are essentially copies of an approved product. FDA’s exception is when a prescriber determines and documents that a change produces a significant difference for an identified patient, which is why many companies now advertise “personalized” doses. A label that says personalized does not by itself show that this exception applies to you. In April 2026, FDA also proposed excluding semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide from the list of bulk drugs outsourcing facilities may use.
As of May 31, 2026, FDA had received 990 adverse event reports for compounded semaglutide and more than 730 for compounded tirzepatide, and it has reported dosing errors, some requiring hospitalization. If you are considering a compounded drug, talk to your doctor and ask the program which pharmacy makes it and how the dose is measured.
FDA warning letters to telehealth companies
Since September 2025, FDA has sent warning letters to dozens of telehealth companies over how they market compounded GLP-1s, including 30 letters announced March 3, 2026. FDA has told these companies not to call a compounded drug generic or the same as an approved drug, not to say it comes from an “FDA-approved” pharmacy, and not to imply the telehealth company is the compounder.
We searched FDA’s warning letter database for every company we considered. Four received letters, and we removed them from this guide (see below): Hers (September 9, 2025), Remedy Meds (September 9, 2025), MEDVi (February 20, 2026) and Eden (June 8, 2026). We found no GLP-1 marketing warning letter for Ro, WeightWatchers, Noom, Mochi Health, Brightmeds, Fridays or TrimRx as of October 12, 2026.
How to choose an online GLP-1 program
- Get a real medical evaluation. A licensed prescriber should review your history, other medicines and conditions before prescribing. Tell your regular doctor too.
- Decide brand or compounded first. Brand-name drugs are FDA approved and may be covered by insurance or Medicare; compounded drugs are not FDA approved and are cash only.
- Add both charges. Program fee plus medication, every month, at the dose you are likely to reach.
- Check insurance help. Look for prior authorization support if you have coverage.
- Check the regulator record. Search the company on FDA’s warning letter page before you sign up.
- Skip big promises. NIH lists fast weight loss claims, tiny print and paid testimonials as warning signs.
Red flags
- A compounded drug described as generic Wegovy, generic Zepbound or the same as an approved drug.
- Claims that a pharmacy is “FDA approved.” FDA does not approve or license pharmacies.
- Compounded versions of drugs now sold as FDA-approved pills, such as oral semaglutide or orforglipron.
- One flat price at any dose with no named pharmacy.
- Products sold “for research purposes” or without a prescription.
- Weight loss guarantees, before and after photos and paid testimonials.
Terms to know
- GLP-1
- A class of prescription drugs, including semaglutide and tirzepatide, that act on appetite and blood sugar.
- Compounded drug
- A drug mixed by a pharmacy for a patient; it is not FDA approved and is not reviewed by FDA before it is sold.
- 503A pharmacy
- A state-licensed pharmacy that compounds drugs for individual patients based on prescriptions.
- 503B outsourcing facility
- A compounding facility registered with FDA that can make larger batches, with limits on which bulk drugs it may use.
- Essentially a copy
- FDA's term for a compounded drug with the same active ingredient, comparable strength and route as an approved drug.
- Prior authorization
- Your insurer's approval of a drug before it will pay for it.
- Medicare GLP-1 Bridge
- A temporary Medicare program, starting July 1, 2026, that covers certain GLP-1s for weight loss for eligible Part D enrollees for a $50 monthly copay.
- Warning letter
- A formal FDA notice that a company has violated federal law and must respond with corrections.
