Evidence brief / Sources and what they explain
Read the source behind the claim.
Sound familiar?
A page calls a treatment proven. You want to see what backs that up before you trust it.
Keep your question specific
Match the claim to the source.
Ask whether the source is about your drug and your health problem. Check whether it describes the same type of medicine, such as a pill or a shot.
Ask who will see you and what their role is: doctor, physician assistant or nurse practitioner. A nurse in the nurse practitioner role may check health problems and prescribe medicine. A physician assistant is a health professional whose job can also include care and prescriptions. Their permissions vary by state.
If the page names a study, ask for its results and what they mean for this proposed use. If it cites a rule, ask which current rule applies.
Choose a reading by the answer you need.
Ask what the source can establish about the exact plan being offered.
- Understand a made-to-order medicineFDA / Compounding explained
Start with the difference between an approved, ready-made drug and a medicine made to order.
FDA guidance checked in September 2026 says compounding can address a need an approved medicine cannot meet.
For a regular pharmacy, the law sets tests for each raw ingredient. It must meet a recognised drug-quality standard if one exists. Otherwise it must be an ingredient in an approved drug or on the official list for compounding ingredients. Ask the pharmacist which test each ingredient meets.
- Judge the visit, not just the formatMedical boards / Remote-care policy
Read the parts about assessment, needed tests and follow-up questions.
This suggested policy, checked in September 2026, calls for the same standard of care in remote and face-to-face visits.
The rules people must follow are set by each state. This policy does not give a doctor permission to practise throughout the country.
- Find a doctor’s licence recordMedical boards / State-board directory
Use this directory to reach the relevant state board, then search by the doctor’s name.
The board record shows whether the licence remains active, along with any public action taken against the doctor.
For a visit with a physician assistant or nurse practitioner, ask which state board grants their licence and where to check the record.
- Find a pharmacy’s licence recordFDA / State pharmacy lookups
Choose the state and look for the pharmacy’s actual name, rather than just the service’s branding.
FDA’s lookup guidance, checked in September 2026, directs readers to their state pharmacy board’s licence database.
A licence record is a starting check; it does not verify the contents of a particular product.
- Understand what a product code provesFDA / Drug-directory limits
Read about the National Drug Code, called NDC. It is a product code used in this government drug directory.
As of September 2026, FDA says a directory entry or NDC does not establish that a drug is approved.
Request the record of approval for the particular product being proposed.
- Check the Medicare payment routeCMS / Medicare GLP-1 Bridge
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is called CMS. Read who can use the program and follow the links for your plan.
As of September 2026, this temporary program is separate from the regular Medicare drug benefit.
Ask separately whether you can use this program and whether your regular drug plan will pay.
- Question a research-labelled offerFDA / Unapproved weight medicines
Read the sections on research labels and telehealth claims before treating a sales page as evidence.
FDA guidance checked in September 2026 advises avoiding research-labelled weight-drug products marketed for people because quality is unknown and harm is possible.
Have the drug’s full name handy. Ask whether the source is about the same type of medicine, such as a pill or a shot.