Take into the conversation
Questions to ask
- Which pharmacy would prepare it, and which would send it?
- Where is its state licence record?
- Can a pharmacist answer my questions?
- What name will appear on the label?
The notes behind the questions
What the answer rests on
Get the maker's name first
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) points out that people may use an online service without knowing the pharmacy or facility that made their medicine.
Compounding means preparing a medicine to fill an order instead of supplying a drug company's finished product.
Check the pharmacy record
On FDA's pharmacy-check page, choose your state to open the state board's pharmacy licence search, then look for the pharmacy's name.
FDA advises avoiding online pharmacies absent from the licence records of the relevant state.
Finding the licence shows the pharmacy has one; it does not prove the pharmacy is right to supply each medicine it sends out.
A larger facility has a different record
An outsourcing facility is a larger maker that prepares batches of medicine, often for hospitals and clinics. It need not be a pharmacy.
These makers prepare sterile medicines and can register with FDA, which publishes a list where you can check their names.
A sterile medicine contains no living germs.
As of 26 September 2026, a facility's registration does not mean FDA has approved it or the medicines it makes.
Keep in your notes
Keep the pharmacy's name beside the name of the person treating you. Ask how to reach the pharmacist if the label, delivery, or written instructions leave you unsure. Ask whether the maker is a pharmacy or a larger batch-making facility, so you know which record to check.