Pause and check
When would it help to pause an offer?
Pause when an important question has no clear answer. Use the comparison below to decide what still needs checking.
The US drug review agency is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Compare the claim with the check
A prescription is skipped
Under US law as of September 26, 2026, a prescription medicine can be supplied only after a licensed prescriber orders it.
A badge replaces an answer
Neither a facility nor its medicines gain FDA approval through registration, as of September 26, 2026.
A made-to-order drug is called approved
As of September 26, 2026, FDA identifies claims of approval for a compounded drug, one made to order, as false or misleading.
Check who would answer a later question
FDA guidance flags online services lacking a licensed doctor who can respond to questions once the medicine has arrived.
Ask for a clear route to the person responsible for your care.
Read a cheap price alongside the other checks
FDA calls for caution about prices that seem far too cheap; price alone, however, cannot prove there is a problem.
Check the prescription, the pharmacy name, and what the full charge includes.
“For research use only” means a laboratory product
FDA warning letters, checked September 26, 2026, challenged sellers advertising “research” products as treatments and selling them with injection supplies.
FDA said those sellers intended the products to be used as medicines by people, despite the laboratory labels.
A “for research use only” label does not make buying a product to inject a lawful route to treatment.
Ask: “Is this medicine FDA-approved, or is it made to order under compounding rules? Which rule allows this exact product to be supplied to me?”