Approval claims need to match the product.
A badge settles whether a made-to-order medicine was reviewed.
A compounded medicine is made to order.
Calling it FDA-approved is false; FDA’s September 2026 position is that these products have no such approval.
The agency also identifies claims that compounded products are the same as approved products as misleading.
Ask for the exact product name and its FDA approval record.
If a badge says “FDA registered”, that does not show that the medicine has FDA approval.
A research label leaves the treatment question open.
FDA’s September 2026 guidance warns against weight-loss products offered for people while labelled for research.
FDA has told sellers that a research label does not change the fact that products promoted for people to inject are being sold as human drugs.
Avoid research-labelled weight-loss products offered as treatment; FDA warns that their unknown quality may harm your health.
In letters about injectable peptide products, FDA told sellers that shots can carry germs and harmful substances past the body’s usual defences and cause serious harm.
Ask the person treating you about the risks of the exact product being offered.
A prescription requires more than a checkout.
Under September 2026 rules, supplying prescription medicine is against federal law unless there is a valid prescription.
FDA flags services with no licensed doctor to answer patients’ questions after they receive their medicine.
Ask how the assessment works and who handles questions later. Keep looking if the service cannot give a clear answer.
Confusing instructions are a reason to pause.
By September 2026, FDA had reports about errors in the amount people used of made-to-order semaglutide injections; some people needed hospital care.
A report on its own cannot prove that a problem was caused by the medicine.
Before using the medicine, take any unclear instructions to your prescriber or pharmacist and ask them to explain.
Storage instructions depend on the particular product; a blanket rule for every peptide would be wrong.
Severe allergic symptoms need urgent care.
Go straight to the nearest emergency room for severe allergic symptoms, which can include breathing trouble or swelling of the face or tongue.
A severe allergic reaction is life-threatening, says MedlinePlus, and symptoms may develop fast.
Keep a record if something does not add up.
Save the label, the written instructions, receipts and the exchange with the service. These give you a clear account to discuss.
Find the New York complaint routes