DePietro’s Pharmacy — Your Wellness and Weight Loss Journey Partner
We all know that maintaining a healthy weight is more than a personal goal — it is crucial to a person’s overall physical and mental health. Deciding to take control of your weight and health is one thing. Turning that desire into visible and trackable results is another.
For some people, losing weight feels like a dream swirling around in their minds. But by blending a healthcare provider’s advice, healthy choices, lifestyle changes, and breakthrough medication, more and more people are turning their resolutions into reality.
At DePietro’s, you can access medication, high-quality vitamins, and human-to-human guidance. We understand that a weight loss journey is highly personal, and our team is here to help at your pace. Along with visiting our pharmacy for medication, our program includes one-on-one counseling so we can answer questions about dosages, expectations, costs, potential side effects and benefits, and more.
As part of our Weight Management Program, our team consistently follows up with customers. Our pharmacists will regularly check in to monitor progress, adjust treatment plans, and share general encouragement and advice — especially in the first few weeks and months.
We also want to ensure all of our current — and future — customers are well-informed about options, benefits, risks, and costs. This ongoing patient-pharmacist relationship ensures accountability and fosters trust — two things we never take lightly!
What are GLP-1 injectables, anyway?
You’ve likely heard talk about Glucagon-like Peptide-1 — or GLP-1 — injections to help people shed additional weight and prevent diabetes. GLP-1 is a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar, appetite, and digestion. Many GLP-1 medications have been so widely advertised that most people now refer to brand names. You’ve likely heard of Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Ozempic — to name just a few.
Rising popularity and more widespread use also mean that these brand-name drugs have bounced on and off of national drug shortage lists for the past few years. Because of the brand name GLP-1 drug shortages, the FDA began allowing compounded versions of the active ingredients to be produced and distributed at lower prices a few years back.
A compounded option
Compounded injectables are derived from clinically approved formulations, also targeting hormonal pathways to regulate appetite and metabolism. Earlier in 2024, DePietro’s started offering compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide injectables as part of our Weight Management Program. We acquire these drugs directly from a facility registered and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Carrying additional weight can cause health issues and stress, and we believe our patients deserve to live life to the fullest. When used correctly and under the care of a licensed healthcare provider, compounded injectibles can be an effective option for weight management — especially for people struggling with obesity or other weight-related health challenges.
While brand-name GLP-1 drugs can drive incredible results, they can also be pricey. Compounded injectibles offer the tangible benefit of affordability and access, especially when an insurance company denies coverage for a GLP-1 prescription. We intentionally made the compounded injections we offer as affordable as possible to enable anyone with a prescription and a desire to gain access to this impactful medication. Compounded injections are not covered by insurance, so participants in our Weight Management Program do not need any prior approvals or authorizations. Customers can access GLP-1 injections from DePietro’s Pharmacy using cash, credit card, or HSA funds.
But, it’s important to understand that the FDA has overarching control over the compounded injectable market. It’s not just up to us as an independent pharmacy if and when we decide to offer compounded injectables or not. Compounded injectibles can only be dispensed if a brand name drug is earmarked on a national drug shortage list and if a compounded drug is the only available option to patients at a given time.
Deciphering the FDA’s December ruling on tirzepatide
On December 19, the FDA determined that the tirzepatide drug shortage was “resolved.” While the decision — skewed in the favor of the large pharmaceutical companies producing the brand name drugs — was not surprising, we understand the impacts will be felt locally by the customers who trust us with their care.
A temporary grace period was issued for compounders to continue making and distributing compounded tirzepatide. DePietro’s will continue offering compounded tirzepatide injectables until March 19, 2025, when we (along with all other pharmacies) are mandated to stop offering this medication to customers.
In the meantime, we will be actively working with customers currently using compounded tirzepatide to transition them to another compounded option or a brand-name medication if and when it becomes more widely available. If you are a current customer with a tirzepatide prescription and haven’t yet heard from a member of our team, please call us at (570) 209-7440.
Success stories: We talk the talk and walk the walk
Many people have experienced life-changing results through our medication-assisted Weight Management Program, but let’s highlight just a few. Our pharmacy’s owner, Tom DePietro, PharmD, embarked on his own wellness and weight management journey in the summer of 2024.
He shares, “I’ve been doing the right things for years — eating right, moving my body, trying to mitigate stress — and the scale just never seemed to move. Especially now that I’m not as young as I used to be, I had this nagging feeling that I needed to do more than the basics to see real change.”
After heavily researching the benefits, side effects, and studies related to compounded GLP-1 drugs, Tom decided to jump in. To date, he’s lost 56 pounds, 3 shirt sizes, 6 pants sizes, and a 35% reduction in total cholesterol.
One of our longtime customers — a 45-year-old woman who has been frustrated with her weight for years — is down 70 pounds.
One of our employees has already shed 60 pounds.
More importantly, they all have more energy and feel more confident than ever.
Could the DePietro’s Wellness and Weight Management Program work for me?
Maybe! To get started, we need a prescription from your doctor. We can send your doctor a prescription request; however, we recommend that you schedule an initial conversation with your healthcare provider before our team sends the request. Some doctors want to obtain bloodwork before issuing the prescription. It’s not because they want to build any roadblocks — it’s because they want to make sure our program is a good option for your body and lifestyle.
If you do not have a primary care doctor, let us know. Our pharmacists have connections with some of the region’s most responsive healthcare providers and we’re happy to share some recommendations with you.
Your goals are achievable.
“Weight management isn’t just about the numbers on the scale. We see it as more of a long-game lifestyle change. Quick fixes — like cleanses, fasts, or fad diets — are frustrating, and honestly just unsustainable for a regular person,” adds Tom DePietro.
“At the end of the day, medications help people whose bodies need help functioning a certain way. We don’t stigmatize people with diabetes for taking insulin or people with migraines for taking medication. We’re looking at our Wellness and Weight Management Program in a similar way. Our customers are making strides and seeing change. They’re proud of their progress, and we’re proud of them, too.”
He adds, “I’d never offer something to our customers that I wouldn’t stand behind or use myself. Bringing affordable medication to our community members who can really benefit from the program is really important to me and our team. We will never stop looking for new ways to serve our customers — and this community — in every way possible.”
Click here to learn more about our Wellness and Weight Management Program.