One missed rule can cost you your license.

It depends on two things that change frequently: whether the drug is on the FDA shortage list, and your state’s rules. Under federal law (sections 503A and 503B), a compounder generally may not make a copy of a commercially available drug — being on the FDA shortage list has been the main exception that allowed compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide. When the FDA declared those shortages resolved, the basis for compounded versions narrowed sharply. Med Spa Radar tracks FDA shortage status and state action daily so you know when it changes. This is regulatory monitoring, not legal advice.

The FDA drug shortage list is a primary factor in whether compounding pharmacies (503A) and outsourcing facilities (503B) may prepare copies of a drug such as semaglutide or tirzepatide. When a GLP-1 comes off the shortage list, that basis for compounding generally ends — often after a short wind-down period. We monitor the list and alert you as soon as a GLP-1’s status changes.

503A pharmacies compound patient-specific prescriptions; 503B outsourcing facilities make larger batches under tighter FDA oversight and cGMP standards. For GLP-1s, both pathways generally hinge on FDA shortage status. The distinction drives which compounded products a med spa can legally source and from whom — so a change to either pathway can affect your supply overnight.

In most states, yes. Aesthetic procedures like injectables and lasers are considered the practice of medicine, which typically requires a physician owner, a medical director, or a supervising/delegating physician relationship. The specifics — ownership rules, delegation, chart review, and how often the physician must be involved — vary by state and change through legislation, which is exactly what Med Spa Radar tracks.

A good-faith exam (GFE) is a clinical evaluation required before a patient is treated — for example before Botox or filler — to establish a valid provider-patient relationship and a treatment order. States increasingly regulate who may perform the GFE and whether it can be done over telehealth. New GFE rules are one of the most common scope-of-practice changes we surface.

It varies widely by state. Some states grant nurse practitioners broad independent authority; others require a delegating or supervising physician, an established good-faith exam, or physician availability. Because these scope-of-practice rules change through state legislation and licensing-board action, the safe answer is state-specific — and it moves. Med Spa Radar monitors all 50 states and DC for exactly these changes.

The practical challenge is awareness: rules change through hundreds of state bills plus FDA and Federal Register activity every session, and a single missed change can put a license or the business at risk. Med Spa Radar monitors all of those sources daily, scores each change for impact, and tells you in plain language what changed and what to do — so compliance starts with knowing first.

All 50 state legislatures plus Washington, DC via LegiScan, and federal activity from the U.S. Federal Register and the FDA — including the FDA drug-shortage database, the key signal for GLP-1 compounding legality. Every alert links directly to its primary source so you can verify it in one click.

Sources are scanned daily, and material changes are reviewed and published promptly to your feed and the weekly Med Spa Radar Brief. Because every alert is human-reviewed before publishing, you get speed without false alarms — a wrong compliance alert is worse than none.

No. Med Spa Radar is regulatory monitoring, not legal, medical, or compliance advice. We surface relevant changes early and link you to the primary source so you and your counsel can act on them. Always verify against the primary source and consult qualified counsel before making compliance decisions.

Med-spa owners, injectors, nurse practitioners, medical directors, and practice managers — anyone who offers GLP-1 weight-loss programs, injectables, or other aesthetic services and cannot afford to miss a scope-of-practice or compounding change that affects their license or their business.