Compounded versus branded GLP-1 spread
Branded cost $121 a month more than compounded semaglutide at the cheapest verified route in August 2026, according to GLP Chart, checked September 4, 2026.
The numbers
- Branded cost $121 a month more than compounded semaglutide at the cheapest verified route in August 2026. (GLP Chart GLP-1 Cash Price Index, September 4, 2026)
- The cheapest verified branded route cost 1.68 times the cheapest verified compounded route in August 2026. (GLP Chart GLP-1 Cash Price Index, September 4, 2026)
- 10 of the 21 cash-pay programs in the index offer a compounded route. (GLP Chart price index, August 31, 2026)
- 11 of the 21 sell branded medication only. (GLP Chart price index, August 31, 2026)
- A month of branded Wegovy costs a US retail pharmacy $1,302 to acquire, against $299 for the cheapest verified cash route. (CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost, effective August 19, 2026, joined to the GLP Chart price index. NADAC is an acquisition-cost benchmark, not pharmacy margin. NADAC dashboards have been published free by 46brooklyn Research since 2019, August 19, 2026)
The spread, month by month
| Month | Compounded floor | Branded floor | Gap | Branded to compounded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05 | $178/mo | $299/mo | $121/mo | 1.68x |
| 2026-06 | $178/mo | $299/mo | $121/mo | 1.68x |
| 2026-07 | $178/mo | $299/mo | $121/mo | 1.68x |
| 2026-08 | $178/mo | $299/mo | $121/mo | 1.68x |
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Compounded versus branded GLP-1 spread, GLP Chart, September 4, 2026. glpchart.com/stats/compounded-vs-branded-glp1-spread/
<a href="https://glpchart.com/stats/compounded-vs-branded-glp1-spread/">Compounded versus branded GLP-1 spread</a>. Data: GLP Chart, September 4, 2026
Prices behind these figures come from each program's own published pricing page, checked every Monday. The current numbers live on the price index, and the dated monthly release is the GLP-1 Cash Price Index, September 2026. For any other cut of the data, email press@glpchart.com and you will have it within 24 hours.
The other statistics pages
- GLP-1 prices by state. What the cheapest verified cash GLP-1 route costs in each US state, and which states have fewer programs to choose from.
- GLP-1 cash prices over time. Every month since the weekly record opened, with the compounded and branded floors beside it.
- GLP-1 insurance coverage by payer. How 21 US insurers treat GLP-1s across the payer policies GLP Chart has read.
- Medicaid GLP-1 coverage by state. What each state Medicaid program covers, read from its own preferred drug list.
- Medicare GLP-1 Bridge statistics. The price, the covered products and the dates of the CMS GLP-1 Bridge, plus the figure nobody has published.
- GLP-1 shortage history. What the FDA shortage database says about each GLP-1 molecule today.