BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the safety of compounded glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) compared to non-compounded formulations using the U.S. FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of FAERS from 2018 to 2024 examined adverse events (AEs), medication errors, and product quality issues for liraglutide, semaglutide, and tirzepatide. Reporting odds ratios (RORs) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated with adjustment using logistic regression.
RESULTS: Of the 81,078 GLP-1 RA reports in the FAERS database, 707 involved compounded products. Compounded formulations demonstrated higher RORs for abdominal pain (2.84 [2.29, 3.49]), diarrhea (1.59 [1.25, 1.99]), nausea (1.27 [1.05, 1.52]), suicidality (6.34, [4.32, 8.99]), and cholecystitis (3.39, [1.61, 6.31]). Compounded products showed higher RORs of preparation errors (48.92 [12.63, 189.6]), prescribing errors (4.46, [2.49, 7.98]), contamination (19.00, [4.24, 85.03]), and compounding/manufacturing issues (8.51, [5.17, 14.0]), while lower odds of administration (0.29 [0.16, 0.53]) and dosing errors (0.24, [0.17, 0.32]). The hospitalization odds were higher for compounded products (2.35 [1.94, 2.83]).
CONCLUSIONS: Compounded GLP-1 RAs may be associated with a higher odds of AEs, safety concerns, and product quality issues compared to non-compounded products. These findings underscore the importance of cautious prescribing, rigorous quality standards, and enhanced patient monitoring.
