What does a source actually prove?
An FDA drug list, a doctor’s licence record and a report of harm each tell you something different. Use these questions to check what an offer’s claim is based on.
Is putting a business on the FDA’s records the same as approval?
In the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) handles drug review.
“FDA registered” means a business has filed its details with the agency. A drug listing puts information about a product on file. Neither record gives the business or the drug FDA approval.
Putting a business or drug on those records also does not prove that the drug can legally be sold.
Ask for the record that supports the exact claim being made.
Does a drug code prove approval?
An NDC is a code number used to tell drug products apart. The letters stand for National Drug Code. Having this code does not prove FDA approval.
The FDA keeps an online list of products with these codes. A product can appear in that list even if it has no FDA approval.
Does a licence prove good care?
A state medical board is the office that licenses doctors. Its public record can show a doctor’s licence status and any action taken against the doctor by that board.
Even when that record shows no action taken against the doctor, it cannot tell you how good the care is.
Use the record to check the licence, then ask how the assessment and follow-up work.
Does a reported problem prove the drug caused it?
A problem report does not establish that a drug caused the problem, FDA says.
The reports also cannot show how often a problem occurs.
Ask what evidence links the reported problem to the exact product under discussion.
Is advice to medical boards the same as state law?
The Federation of State Medical Boards brings those boards together as a national group. It gives them advice on medical care. Each state decides which rules must be followed.
A claim about what is allowed needs the rule for the state where the visit takes place.
What question connects a claim to its proof?
Ask: “Which record supports this claim for this exact product and this use?” Then ask when it was checked.
If the answer points to a different drug, a different use or a different kind of record, return to the original question.