Where the medicine comes from
Name the pharmacy.
Ask who will make the medicine and who will send it. The name on a service’s website may leave those questions unanswered.
Question to carry
Get the dispensing pharmacy’s full name.
Read the offer
Get the actual name
FDA notes a gap in some online care: the person getting a compounded medicine may not know who made it. FDA on finding the maker
Request the pharmacy’s full name before payment. Ask if it could change for a refill. When the medicine arrives, compare the label with the information you were given.
In advice checked in September 2026, FDA reports false pharmacy details on some labels for compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide. Some even name a pharmacy that does not exist. FDA on false product labels
Look more closely
Use California’s records
As checked in September 2026, California’s pharmacy search has separate records for pharmacies and for sterile compounding. Search California’s pharmacy records
As of September 2026, a pharmacy outside the state needs a California nonresident license to send prescription medicine here. California’s rule for pharmacies outside the state
As of September 2026, pharmacies based outside California also need its separate sterile-compounding license when preparing sterile medicine to send here. This includes medicine made to order for shots. The separate rule for sterile medicine
Nonresident means outside the state. Ask which license records cover the medicine you would receive. Match the place as well as the name.
Carry this forward
Know how to reach a pharmacist
Ask how to reach a pharmacist about the label, delivery and storage. Ask what happens if the product arrives damaged or differs from what was discussed.
Keep the pharmacy details with your visit notes. A delivery company and a customer-service desk may have different roles from the pharmacist.
Keep in mind
The chapter recap
Identify the medicine’s maker and its sender. Check the right state records. Keep a way to reach a pharmacist.
Understand compounding