Check the offer
Pause when the
answer does not fit.
Keep the page or quote in front of you. Compare the exact wording with the records you can check.
A clinician is a doctor, nurse or other health professional who assesses or treats you. FDA is short for Food and Drug Administration, the US drug review agency.
Reassuring words can hide an unanswered question.
“FDA registered”
Ask what is registered.
As of September 2026, an FDA listing for a drug or business grants neither FDA approval nor permission to sell.
“Research use only”
Ask what is being marketed.
As of September 2026, FDA has warned that research labels do not change the status of products marketed as drugs for people.
A medicine made to order is a separate product.
Compounding means preparing a medicine to order to meet a patient’s need.
As of September 2026, FDA says an ad is false or misleading if it calls a compounded medicine FDA-approved.
The same applies to calling it an approved drug’s generic version or saying studies prove it gives the same results.
A generic name is simply a medicine’s name without a brand. Calling a product a generic version makes a different claim: that it is a copy of an approved drug.
As of September 2026, FDA has found fake labels on made-to-order semaglutide and tirzepatide; some name nonexistent pharmacies.
A low price does not settle the other checks.
FDA warns about online pharmacy offers with prices that seem far too low; the price itself is not proof of a problem.
The Federal Trade Commission says a seller may be a scammer if it accepts only bank or wire transfers, payment apps or gift cards.
It gives the same warning about cryptocurrency, a form of digital money.
Leave these questions open until they are answered.
As of September 2026, a valid prescription is required by federal law before prescription medicine can be supplied.