When your GLP-1 product changes: handling the review wave

What happened in 2025

While brand-name GLP-1 drugs were on the FDA's shortage list, compounders could make copies under the agency's enforcement discretion. Many telehealth programs were built on that supply.

The FDA declared the tirzepatide shortage resolved on December 19, 2024, and the semaglutide shortage resolved on February 21, 2025. Its enforcement discretion ended in stages. The last date, for outsourcing facilities making semaglutide, was May 22, 2025.

Programs responded in different ways. Some moved customers to brand-name products at a higher price. Some changed formulations. Some stopped offering a product. We do not give regulatory advice, and this guide is not about which response was right. It is about the reviews that followed.

What the wave looks like

• It is fast. A year of steady 5-star reviews, then dozens of 1-star reviews in a few days.
• It is accurate. "They stopped selling what I was taking." "The price doubled." These statements are usually true.
• It draws in people who were never customers. A change that makes the news attracts comment from readers of the news.
• It moves the score quickly. TrustScore weighs recent reviews more, so a recent wave counts for more than its size suggests.

Why mass-flagging is the wrong response

Three rules point the same way.

Trustpilot's misuse policy. Its Action We Take policy lists flagging reviews in bulk over a short period as misuse. It says bulk flagging implies the content is targeted for its sentiment. The ladder of responses ends in a public Consumer Warning that hides the TrustScore, usually for 6 months.

Your public record. Your Company activity page shows 12 months of flagging, including the share of flags that were invalid. A hundred flags on real complaints produces a record that anyone can read.

The regulator. The FTC said NextMed, a GLP-1 telehealth brand, "suppressed negative reviews on Trustpilot by selectively challenging critical reviews". A wave of flags aimed at one kind of complaint fits that description closely.

Our guide on what to do when your brand is review-bombed covers the general case. The difference here is that most of the wave is real.

Sorting the wave

Two blocks apply to the genuine experience reason. You cannot use it for a customer you invited. And Trustpilot generally does not check it for reviews older than a year, which matters if you come back to the wave late.

A pace that protects the record

1. Week 1: read and sort. Flag nothing except harmful or illegal content.
2. Week 2: send Request information to the small set that look like non-customers. Reviewers have 3 days to respond.
3. Weeks 3 onward: flag a few a week, one reason each, with the words highlighted.
4. Flag positive reviews with the same breach. A 5-star review with a promo code goes on the list too.
5. Record every decision. If Trustpilot keeps a review, you can appeal once. Do not flag it again.

The reply

Write one good reply and adapt it lightly. Readers of the profile will see it many times.

"When the FDA ended the shortage period for compounded GLP-1 medication, we had to change what we can offer. We know that was frustrating for people who were doing well on their plan. We cannot discuss any individual's care here. Our support team can explain the options on your account."

Three limits apply, and the cold-chain and dose guide covers them in detail. Do not confirm that the reviewer is a patient. Do not make health claims, such as saying one product works as well as another. Do not argue.

Recovery

The score recovers the way it fell: through recent reviews. Invite every customer, at the same point, in neutral words. Trustpilot requires invitations to be fair and neutral, and it bans picking only happy customers. Customers who stayed through the change and are satisfied will say so if they are asked.

Do not try to speed this up with incentives or bought reviews. Our guide on buying Trustpilot reviews explains what follows.

Where we fit

We read the wave and return two lists. On a product-change wave, the "can qualify" list is short. That is the honest result, and it keeps your record clean. The GLP-1 page explains the plan for this category, and the main Trustpilot review removal page explains the five flagging reasons.

Request a free audit to see both lists for your profile.

For help with your own profile, start with our Trustpilot review removal service. Our review removal pricing is per confirmed removal, with nothing up front.