Pharmacy vetting checklist generator

Your checklist (15 items)

1. 1. Identify who is compounding and who is prescribing

   • Get the legal name, street address and state licence number of the pharmacy that will fill the prescription, in writing, before paying.

     A telehealth brand or clinic is rarely the dispenser. You cannot verify a pharmacy you cannot name.

   • Ask whether the product is made by a 503A pharmacy (patient-specific prescriptions, state board oversight) or a 503B outsourcing facility (FDA-registered, CGMP, may ship in bulk to clinics).

     Where: FDA: human drug compounding (https://www.fda.gov/drugs/guidance-compliance-regulatory-information/human-drug-compounding)

2. 2. Licences

   • Look up the pharmacy's licence on your state board of pharmacy site, and on the board of the state where the pharmacy is located.

     Where: NABP: state boards of pharmacy directory (https://nabp.pharmacy/about/boards-of-pharmacy/)

   • Also search the board of the state where the pharmacy is physically located. Disciplinary history is usually posted by the home-state board, not the non-resident one.

     Where: NABP: state boards of pharmacy directory (https://nabp.pharmacy/about/boards-of-pharmacy/)

3. 3. Legal basis for the product

   • Confirm that a licensed prescriber issues a patient-specific prescription after reviewing your history, and that you can obtain a copy of it.

   • Ask what the stated basis for compounding is now that the FDA shortage listings for tirzepatide (resolved December 19, 2024) and semaglutide (resolved February 21, 2025) have ended. A lawful answer names a documented, patient-specific clinical difference from the approved product determined by your prescriber, not a price.

     Where: FDA: clarifies policies for compounders as GLP-1 supply stabilises (https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-alerts-and-statements/fda-clarifies-policies-compounders-national-glp-1-supply-begins-stabilize)

   • Ask which form of the active ingredient is used. FDA has said it is not aware of a lawful basis for compounding semaglutide sodium or semaglutide acetate; approved products use the base form.

     Where: FDA: concerns with unapproved GLP-1 drugs used for weight loss (https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-alerts-and-statements/fdas-concerns-unapproved-glp-1-drugs-used-weight-loss)

   • Look for the words 'research use only', 'not for human consumption' or 'RUO' anywhere on the site, label or invoice. A product sold that way is not a compounded drug and no pharmacy or prescriber stands behind it.

     You were unsure; check the fine print and the vial label photo.

   • Note any claim that the product is 'the same as', 'generic', 'FDA approved' or 'bioequivalent to' Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound. FDA's 2025 and 2026 warning letters treat such claims as false or misleading; compounded drugs are not FDA approved.

     Where: FDA press release, March 3, 2026: warning letters to 30 telehealth companies (https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-warns-30-telehealth-companies-against-illegal-marketing-compounded-glp-1s)

4. 4. Quality documents

   • Ask for a certificate of analysis for the specific lot you will receive. If none exists, ask what release testing the pharmacy performs and who performs it.

     A COA is a lab report, not an approval. It tells you the lot was tested; it does not tell you the drug works.

   • When the product arrives, check the dispensed label: your name, the prescriber, the pharmacy's name and address, the drug and concentration in mg per mL, the beyond-use date and storage instructions.

   • Search the pharmacy's name on FDA's compounding actions page and in the warning letters database.

     Where: FDA: compounding inspections, recalls and other actions (https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/compounding-inspections-recalls-and-other-actions)

5. 5. How the offer is sold

   • Get the refund, cancellation and auto-renewal terms in writing, including what happens to a subscription if the prescriber does not renew.

   • Check that the intake asked about your medical history, current medicines, pregnancy or breastfeeding, personal or family thyroid cancer history and pancreatitis. An intake that only asks for a weight and a card number is a warning sign.

   • Know where to report a problem before you need to: FDA MedWatch takes reports from patients on compounded drugs.

     Where: FDA MedWatch: report a problem (https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/index.cfm)

Compounded drugs are not FDA approved and are not interchangeable with brand products. This checklist lists things to verify; it does not score a pharmacy, rank offers, or recommend one. It is educational and is not medical or legal advice.