Understand the words
What does the approval claim refer to?
When this comes up
An advert mentions the Food and Drug Administration, often called the FDA, and displays a code. You want to know whether the exact medicine has been approved.
Ask whether the claim is about approval of the exact medicine, registration of the business making it, or a listing in a government drug record. A listing means the product has an entry in a stored list of drug details. It is a different thing from approval.
A code does not settle approval
NDC means National Drug Code, a product-identifying code. FDA says that having an NDC establishes no product approval, as of September 26, 2026.
As of September 26, 2026, registration of a drug-making business does not establish FDA approval of the business or its medicines.
Ask for the approval record and label for the exact medicine. A code or badge does not answer whether that medicine is approved.
A compounded drug has a different status
Compounding is the preparation of a medicine to fill an order. A compounded drug lacks FDA approval as of September 26, 2026.
As of September 26, 2026, a medicine prepared to order reaches sale without FDA checks of its safety, its quality, or how well it works.
Effectiveness means whether a medicine does what it is meant to do. Ask why a preparation made to order is being proposed and what is known about that exact product.