Check the care route
Find out who actually fills the prescription.
The service’s name may be the name on the website. Find out which pharmacy will handle your medicine, and get its name.
What to check
Get the pharmacy’s exact name.
The FDA, the U.S. agency that reviews medicines, warns that an online service may leave the maker of a medicine mixed to order unnamed.
Ask for the name of the pharmacy filling your prescription. If the medicine is mixed to order, also ask who makes it. Ask whether these are the same business; keep both names if they differ.
Check the state pharmacy record.
FDA’s pharmacy lookup page links to state searches where you can enter the pharmacy’s name and check its licence.
If the relevant state record has no listing for an online pharmacy, FDA advises you to avoid it.
Ask how to reach a pharmacist.
FDA’s pharmacy checklist calls for a licensed pharmacist who can answer questions and a valid prescription requirement.
A note before moving on
A badge is not the check
As of September 26, 2026, registering a facility with FDA does not mean FDA has approved that facility or its medicines.
A licence record confirms a licence; it does not prove that every prescription is handled properly.
Open the record
Read this for the detail
- FDA: find the state pharmacy licence search
Choose your state, then search for the exact pharmacy name supplied.
- FDA’s signs to check at an online pharmacy
Read the full checklist. A convincing website can still need more checking.
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