Clinical Research

The evidence behind every therapy

We show you what the published research actually says, including where the evidence is strong, where it is early, and where results are mixed. Your physician uses this evidence, along with your own labs, to decide what belongs in your plan.

Clinical studies Purity testing

Clinical Studies

Key published trials

Each therapy is rated by the strength of its human evidence. Results are group averages from clinical trials; individual results vary.

StrongLarge randomized trials EstablishedStandard medical use MixedConflicting results EarlySmall or pilot studies

GLP-1 medications

Semaglutide and tirzepatide

Strong evidenceFor FDA-approved products

STEP 1 · New England Journal of Medicine, 2021

1,961 adults with overweight or obesity, without diabetes. Weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg for 68 weeks lowered body weight by an average of 14.9%, compared with 2.4% on placebo.

Read the study →

SURMOUNT-1 · New England Journal of Medicine, 2022

2,539 adults with obesity, without diabetes. After 72 weeks, average weight loss was 15.0%, 19.5%, and 20.9% on the 5, 10, and 15 mg doses of tirzepatide, compared with 3.1% on placebo.

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SELECT · New England Journal of Medicine, 2023

17,604 adults with heart disease and overweight or obesity, without diabetes. Semaglutide lowered the risk of heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death by 20% (6.5% vs. 8.0%) over about 40 months.

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What this means: These results come from the FDA-approved brand products. Compounded versions were not studied in these trials and are not FDA-approved.

View GLP-1 medications in the formulary

Tesamorelin

GHRH analog

Strong evidenceFor its FDA-approved use

Phase 3 trial · New England Journal of Medicine, 2007

412 adults with HIV and excess abdominal fat. Daily tesamorelin 2 mg for 26 weeks reduced visceral fat by 15.2%, while it rose 5.0% on placebo. Triglycerides fell and IGF-1 rose 81%.

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What this means: Evidence is strongest in people with HIV-associated lipodystrophy. The FDA label states it is not indicated for weight loss, and long-term cardiovascular safety has not been established.

View Tesamorelin in the formulary

Setmelanotide

MC4 receptor agonist

Strong evidenceFor specific rare conditions

Phase 3 trials · Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2020

People with severe obesity caused by POMC or LEPR deficiency. After about one year, 80% of the POMC group and 45% of the LEPR group lost at least 10% of their body weight.

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Phase 3 TRANSCEND trial · reported March 2026

142 people with acquired hypothalamic obesity. After 52 weeks, BMI fell 15.8% on setmelanotide and rose 2.6% on placebo, a placebo-adjusted difference of 18.4%. This trial supported the March 2026 FDA approval.

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What this means: These results apply only to people with a confirmed genetic or hypothalamic cause of obesity. Setmelanotide is not studied or approved for common obesity.

View Setmelanotide in the formulary

NAD+

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide

Early evidenceSmall pilot studies

Pilot study · Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 2019

11 healthy men; 8 received 750 mg of NAD+ by IV over 6 hours. Blood NAD+ did not rise for the first 2 hours, then reached about 4 times baseline by the end of the infusion. No adverse events occurred in this small group. The study did not measure health outcomes.

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What this means: Human studies of IV NAD+ so far mostly measure how the body processes it. Large trials showing health benefits have not yet been published.

View NAD+ in the formulary

Glutathione

Tripeptide antioxidant

Early evidenceLimited, mixed results

Randomized trial · European Journal of Nutrition, 2015

Six months of oral glutathione at 250 or 1,000 mg a day. At the higher dose, glutathione stores rose 30–35% in red blood cells, plasma, and lymphocytes, and 260% in cheek cells.

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Pilot trial · Movement Disorders, 2009

21 people with Parkinson’s disease received IV glutathione 1,400 mg or placebo three times a week for 4 weeks. It was well tolerated, but symptom scores did not differ significantly from placebo.

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What this means: Supplementation can raise the body’s glutathione stores. Clinical benefits from IV glutathione have not been proven in controlled trials.

View Glutathione in the formulary

Vitamin B Complex

B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12

Established evidenceFor documented deficiency

NIH Office of Dietary Supplements · Vitamin B12 fact sheet

Vitamin B12 deficiency is typically treated with B12 injections because injections bypass problems with absorption. High doses of oral B12 may also be effective.

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What this means: Treating a confirmed deficiency is well established. Evidence for extra B vitamins in people whose levels are already normal is limited, which is why we test first.

View Vitamin B Complex in the formulary

Vitamin C

Ascorbic acid

Mixed evidenceProven for deficiency; high-dose IV unproven

CITRIS-ALI · JAMA, 2019

167 ICU patients with sepsis and severe lung injury. High-dose IV vitamin C for 96 hours did not significantly improve organ-failure scores or markers of inflammation.

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LOVIT · New England Journal of Medicine, 2022

872 ICU patients with sepsis. Death or ongoing organ failure at 28 days occurred in 44.5% of patients given IV vitamin C and 38.5% given placebo.

Read the study →

What this means: These trials involved critically ill hospital patients, not healthy adults, but they show high-dose IV vitamin C is not a proven treatment. Vitamin C reliably treats deficiency.

View Vitamin C in the formulary

This page is for education and is not medical advice. Studies of FDA-approved medications do not establish the safety or effectiveness of compounded versions. Last reviewed October 2026.

Purity Testing

How every vial is verified

A therapy is only as safe as what is in the vial. These are the quality standards we require from every pharmacy partner before a medication reaches you.

Identity

Confirms the vial contains the correct compound, using laboratory methods such as HPLC or mass spectrometry.

Potency

Measures that the strength in the vial matches the strength on the label.

Sterility · USP <71>

Tests for bacteria and fungi in sterile preparations made in batches.

Bacterial endotoxins · USP <85>

Tests for endotoxins, toxins left behind by bacteria that can cause fever and serious reactions when injected. This was the problem behind the FDA’s 2026 glutathione alert.

Pharmaceutical-grade ingredients

Active ingredients come from FDA-registered manufacturers with a certificate of analysis for each lot. Supplement-grade ingredients are never used for injectables.

Licensed pharmacies & cold chain

Medications are prepared by state-licensed pharmacies that follow USP <797> sterile compounding standards, or by FDA-registered 503B outsourcing facilities, and shipped temperature-controlled when required.

Certificate of analysis on request

Ask for the lab report for your medication’s lot. It shows the identity, potency, sterility, and endotoxin results from the dispensing pharmacy.

Request a certificate

FDA-approved brand medications are made by their manufacturers under FDA manufacturing standards and are dispensed by licensed pharmacies. The FDA does not approve or license compounding pharmacies, and compounded medications are not FDA-approved.

Begin Today

Find out what fits your plan

Every therapy starts with diagnostics and a physician consultation.

Start Your Health Assessment View the formulary