Check the claim before deciding
Read a claim, then open the answer beneath it.
The useful question is what the words actually prove.
FDA is the short name for the Food and Drug Administration, the agency that reviews drug products.
Compounded medicines are made to order for the patient.
A product marked ‘for research use only’ is labelled for laboratory work rather than for treating patients.
Does FDA registration prove a medicine has approval?
As of September 2026, neither a facility’s FDA registration nor a drug’s FDA listing grants approval.
Ask whether the finished drug has FDA approval, separately from whether the business is registered.
Look inside the source drawer
The federal regulation separates registration from approval.
Is a compounded drug just an approved generic?
A generic is an approved version of a medicine with a brand name.
As of September 2026, FDA describes the phrase ‘approved generic’ as misleading when it is used for a compounded drug.
Depending on the product, approved medicines containing semaglutide or tirzepatide treat diabetes or help with weight management.
At the September 2026 check, there was no approved US generic of semaglutide or tirzepatide that could be supplied.
Liraglutide is a different medicine with FDA-approved generic versions; the particular product determines whether it is used for type 2 diabetes or weight management.
Look inside the source drawer
A compounded preparation has no FDA approval.
Does a laboratory-only label allow a seller to offer treatment?
As of September 2026, FDA letters say a laboratory-only label does not make it lawful to sell an unapproved product for treating people.
FDA considers both the label’s wording and the seller’s claims about what the product will do for people.
Look inside the source drawer
FDA warns about products labelled for research but sold to patients with instructions about how much to use.
A good-looking page can still need checking
Health sites can display fake seals that look official and fake guarantees, warns the Federal Trade Commission.
FDA guidance checked in September 2026 lists missing prescription requirements and missing pharmacy licences among its warning signs.
Use the state records to check names rather than treating a badge as the answer.
Look inside the source drawer
FDA says appearance alone can make unsafe online pharmacies hard to spot.
A guaranteed result deserves a pause
As of September 2026, New York misconduct rules bar doctors and physician assistants from guaranteeing a cure or satisfaction.
Those rules also bar doctors and physician assistants from using testimonials in advertising: statements from people praising the care they received.
A patient’s praise used in an advertisement is the kind of claim to question; the rule concerns the professional’s advertising.
Ask for an explanation of the proposed care and its limits.
Look inside the source drawer
These professional rules apply to licensed doctors and physician assistants, not to every business in the same way.