Claims to question
Pause when the basics do not add up.
Keep the product claim, the licence claim and the price claim separate. A strong-looking badge cannot answer all of them.
No prescription is a serious gap
Under federal law as recorded on September 26, 2026, a pharmacy needs a prescription from a licensed person authorised to prescribe before supplying prescription medicine.
- Ask who performs the assessment and who makes the care decision.
- Ask how the prescription reaches the pharmacy that supplies the medicine.
- Use the card about who would treat you if that person is unclear.
Research wording does not make it care
By September 26, 2026, FDA had warned against unapproved tirzepatide marketed for human use with research labels. Its quality is unknown, and it could cause harm.
- Treat a research-only label as a reason to stop evaluating it as a care offer.
- Ask for the exact medicine name and its source.
- Use the medicine and pharmacy cards to check the answers.
Ask which medicine is approved
FDA, the US agency that regulates medicines, is short for Food and Drug Administration. Registration puts a business in its records. As of September 26, 2026, registration does not give FDA approval to a business or its medicines. FDA does not approve doctors, clinics or other care providers.
There was also no FDA-approved generic copy of tirzepatide as of September 26, 2026.
Claims that a medicine prepared to order has FDA approval, or has been proven to match an approved medicine, are false or misleading according to FDA.
- Ask which exact product is said to be approved.
- Ask what generic means in that offer.
- Ask for the pharmacy name even when the care service puts its own name on the product.
Check the offer beyond its appearance
The Federal Trade Commission warns that a seal that looks official or a guarantee on a health website may be fake.
- Check a name against the board record, rather than relying on a logo.
- Request the full written quote and cancellation terms.
- Leave space in your notes for answers that still need proof.
- Take unresolved health questions to the person treating you before deciding.
Sources for this chapter
Use these sources to check the answers above. Bring any questions to the person treating you.