In brief
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) handles the review of medicines.
As of September 26, 2026, federal law barred supplying prescription drugs when the required prescription was absent.
An offer that skips the prescription is a reason to stop the comparison and check the source of the medicine.
A compounded medicine is made for a particular order instead of being supplied as the manufacturer’s finished drug.
A label cannot do the assessment
Warning letters reviewed through September 26, 2026 showed FDA challenging sellers who marketed unapproved drugs for treatment while labelling them “not for human consumption” or “research use only”.
FDA also identified claims that compounded drugs are approved or equivalent to approved products as false or misleading.
Ask for the exact product and a clear account of its status. If the answer keeps returning to a slogan, leave the question marked unanswered.
Check the record behind the badge
The Federal Trade Commission cautions that a seal that looks official or a promise of money back may be fake.
FDA has found fraudulent compounded medicines labelled with pharmacy names that were invented or belonged to pharmacies that had not made the medicine.
Use the pharmacy’s name to check the official licence record. A logo alone does not complete that check.
Treat payment pressure as another question
The trade commission’s advice reviewed on September 26, 2026 warned about sellers who accepted only money transfers, payment apps, gift cards or cryptocurrency, a form of digital money such as Bitcoin. These demands were signs of a likely scam.
FDA lists implausibly steep discounts among its warning signs, but price alone does not establish whether a pharmacy is legitimate.
Keep price, payment method and the record checks together in your comparison.