Who makes and sends the medicine?
Get a name you can check, even when care begins on a screen.
Ask for the actual pharmacy name
People receiving care online may be unable to identify the compounder that prepared their medicine, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The pharmacy or facility preparing a made-to-order medicine is called its compounder. Ask for its full name and the name that will appear on the medicine label.
Use a pharmacy record, not a doctor record
State boards of pharmacy keep pharmacy licence records, separate from medical boards.
The FDA links to each state’s online pharmacy licence search.
A licence listing confirms that a licence exists; you still need to ask whether the medicine supplied fits your care.
If the pharmacy is in another state
For a pharmacy sending medicines across state lines, most destination states require their own permit or licence before shipment, as of September 2026.
Ask which permission covers shipping to your state. The name of that permission can differ by state.
If you hear FDA registered
An outsourcing facility is a place that makes batches of medicines to order, often for clinics and hospitals, rather than filling only individual prescriptions.
The FDA publishes a list of registered outsourcing facilities, which make batches of compounded medicines.
These facilities choose to register by sending information to the FDA, and some listed facilities have not yet been inspected.
Registration gives no approval to either the facility itself or its medicines as of September 2026.
Ask: Is my medicine made by a pharmacy filling my prescription, or by a facility making batches? Which name and record should I check?