The record behind a claim
A source note is worth reading to the end
When a claim sounds certain, look for the record behind it. Check what it proves about this medicine and what it leaves unanswered.
- Source note
- A pointer back to the record offered to support a statement.
The letters FDA name America’s drug regulator, the Food and Drug Administration.
A drug code identifies a listing
- National Drug Code, or NDC
- The drug-code directory uses this code to identify a particular product.
The FDA says that code is not evidence of drug approval, as checked September 26, 2026.
Return to the offer with a question about the approval record when a code is offered as proof. Keep the question tied to the product name.
A company’s registration is a listing, not a medicine approval
For a compounding facility, FDA registration means sending in its details to be entered on the agency’s list.
Under the rule checked September 26, 2026, registration with the FDA does not approve a facility or the medicines it makes.
Write down whether the offer points to permission to work, a company listing or approval of the exact medicine. Ask the service to explain what that entry proves.
- Adverse event
- An unwanted experience reported while a person uses a medical product.
A problem report leaves questions open
A report alone cannot prove the medicine caused the event or tell how often it happens.
Read what the report actually says before treating it as an answer about cause. Ask the person providing your care how it relates to the medicine being discussed.
A letter about a company describes concerns at that time
An FDA warning letter tells a company what problems the agency says it has found; it is not a final decision on those concerns.
You can search the published letters by company name.
Later exchanges with the agency may change the issues described in a letter.
If an offer points to a letter, read what it says and any later response. Finding no letter does not prove the company passed a check; it may never have been reviewed.
Keep the small print beside the claim
- Does this record cover the exact product being discussed?
- Which illness or use does it cover?
- When was it checked, and what might have changed?
- Does the headline promise more than the record shows?
For example, a company listing does not show that its medicine has FDA approval, even if an offer presents the listing that way.
Carry the question into compounding notes