Safety · Verification
How to check a compounding pharmacy before you pay
Of the 37 programs in this database, 8 name the compounding pharmacy that actually makes the medication. The other 29 do not, and that single disclosure gap defeats every check in this guide. Here is what to verify, in the order that a "no" saves you the most time.
Why the pharmacy name is the load-bearing fact
The telehealth program is a prescribing and logistics layer. The medicine is made somewhere else, by a compounding pharmacy that holds the licence, runs the sterile process, and is the entity a regulator inspects. Almost everything you can independently verify about the quality of what arrives is attached to that pharmacy's name — and if you do not have the name, you have nothing to check.
This is not a hypothetical concern. FDA enforcement activity in this market has specifically cited sellers that never disclose who compounds their product. A program declining to answer is itself an answer.
The six checks
1. Get the pharmacy's name in writing
Ask the program which compounding pharmacy fills its prescriptions, and get the answer in writing before you pay. A program that will not name it cannot be checked against any public record.
2. Confirm the licence with the state board
Search the pharmacy's name on the state board of pharmacy website for the state it operates in, and confirm the licence is active and unencumbered. Check your own state too — an out-of-state pharmacy needs a non-resident licence to ship to you.
3. Check whether it is a 503A or a 503B
A 503A pharmacy compounds patient-specific prescriptions; a 503B outsourcing facility registers with the FDA and is inspected against a stricter standard. Neither makes an FDA-approved product, and the distinction changes what oversight applies.
4. Search FDA inspection records
Look for Form 483 observations and warning letters against the facility. A 483 is a list of inspector observations, not a finding of wrongdoing; a warning letter is more serious. Read what the observations actually say.
5. Ask for a certificate of analysis
Request the certificate of analysis for the lot you are dispensed, showing potency and sterility testing by an independent lab. Check that the molecule named on it is the base form, not a salt form.
6. Verify the prescriber is licensed in your state
Look up the prescribing clinician on your state's licensing board. Telehealth prescribing requires a licence in the state where the patient is located.
The salt-form question
Compounded semaglutide has been sold in salt forms — semaglutide sodium and semaglutide acetate — that are not the same substance as the base molecule in the approved products. The FDA has warned about them specifically. A certificate of analysis naming a salt form is a red flag worth walking away from, and it is one of the few quality questions a consumer can actually check on paper.
Which programs in this database name their pharmacy
8 of 37. The provider records mark this explicitly, and head-to-head pages compare it directly, because between two programs at a similar price it is often the only dimension with a clear answer.
- Henry Meds — Tailor Made Compounding
- Hims & Hers — Brand fulfillment (Wegovy, oral Wegovy, Zepbound) + partner pharmacy
- LillyDirect (Zepbound) — Eli Lilly self-pay pharmacy (GiftHealth)
- Mochi Health — Partner 503A/503B pharmacies
- NexLife — Absolute Pharmacy, Hallandale Pharmacy, Red Rock Pharmacy, Empower Pharmacy, Strive Pharmacy (assignment varies by state/availability)
- Noom Med — Partner pharmacies
- NovoCare Pharmacy (Wegovy) — CoAssist Pharmacy d/b/a NovoCare Pharmacy
- Ro (Ro Body) — Brand fulfillment via NovoCare / LillyDirect pathways
Every other record in the database shows what the program actually publishes, which is usually some variation of "partner pharmacies".
Questions
How do I check if a compounding pharmacy is legitimate?
Get the pharmacy's name in writing, confirm an active licence with the state board of pharmacy in its state and a non-resident licence in yours, establish whether it is a 503A pharmacy or a 503B outsourcing facility, search FDA inspection records for Form 483 observations and warning letters, and request the certificate of analysis for your lot.
What is the difference between a 503A and a 503B?
A 503A pharmacy compounds against individual patient-specific prescriptions. A 503B outsourcing facility registers with the FDA, may compound in bulk, and is inspected against a stricter manufacturing standard. Neither produces an FDA-approved product.
What if a provider will not name its pharmacy?
Then no independent verification is possible — not the licence, not the inspection history, not the testing. That is a material gap, and it is recorded on every provider page in this database.