Semaglutide has been on the FDA's shortage list since 2022, which has enabled compounding pharmacies and manufactures to make their own, unapproved versions of the drug. Novo Nordisk in October requested the FDA block compounding pharmacies from producing versions of the drug, saying semaglutide is too complex for others to replicate safely.

Compounded versions of semaglutide, the active ingredient in approved diabetes and obesity drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, have been associated with at least 100 hospitalizations and 10 deaths, the chief executive of Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk warned Wednesday.