With GLP‑1 drug ads everywhere, here’s what to know to safely buy them online

FastCompany: If you watched the Super Bowl in 2026, you likely saw Serena Williams share her weight-loss journey on GLP-1 medications in a commercial . Like millions of others around the country, if you’ve ever considered taking one of these drugs, you probably went online to learn more about where you can get them and how much they cost. Online searches for GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy have risen dramatically since 2022 . Advertisements like Williams’s Super Bowl commercial both reflect and help drive that growing demand. More and more advertisements for weight-loss medications are appearing in people’s daily lives.

These ads can be appealing, intrusive, confusing, or even misleading , and have sparked widespread concerns about inappropriate use and adverse events . But the high cost of GLP-1 medications , combined with the lack of adequate coverage by insurance plans, has helped fuel a booming online market for cheaper alternatives . As health services researchers studying prescription medication safety , we are highly concerned about the risks of online advertisements selling alternative versions of GLP-1 weight-loss medications. Serena Williams’s Super Bowl ad promoted GLP-1 drugs for weight loss.

Not all GLP-1 medications are the same As of April 2026, the most popular GLP-1 medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration include semaglutide, sold under the brand names Wegovy , Ozempic , and Rybelsus ; tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro or Zepbound ; and orforglipron , sold as Foundayo . These brand-name medications have undergone rigorous clinical trials and extensive FDA evaluation, including review of clinical data, manufacturing processes, and facility inspections, to ensure safety, quality and effectiveness.

Many of the GLP-1 drugs advertised on the internet are not the FDA-approved medications but rather “compounded” GLP-1 products made in compounding pharmacies. They contain the same active ingredient— semaglutide , tirzepatide or orforglipron —but add minor but clinically important modifications such as using a different salt form, adding different inactive ingredients and varying drug concentrations or dosages. In addition, they may be produced and stored under inconsistent quality standards .

Compounding pharmacies are intended to create personalized versions of FDA-approved medications to meet unique patient needs that cannot be met through the mass-produced brand-name medications. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the modifications being made to GLP-1 medications sold by compounding pharmacies meet those criteria. Instead, companies are using compounding pharmacies to bypass the FDA-approved manufacturers and generate profit . In February 2026, the FDA released a report alerting patients and providers about the risks of compounded GLP-1 medications.

The report notes the presence of counterfeit Ozempic, the use of non-FDA-approved ingredients such as retatrutide or cagrilintide, and products bypassing regulations by being labeled as “not for human consumption.” As of July 2024—the most recently issued report—the FDA had received more than 1,000 reports of adverse events related to compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide. These include gastrointestinal effects like nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, as well as fainting, headache, migraine, dehydration, acute pancreatitis, and gallstones.

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The article addresses the significant implications of advertising in the pharmaceutical industry, particularly regarding consumer safety and brand transparency, which are critical for brand strategy professionals.