Know what a source can actually settle.

Approval belongs to the exact product

The National Drug Code Directory is FDA’s list of drug products and their identifying codes.

As of September 2026, being in this list did not mean FDA had approved a medicine.

Each listed product has an identifying code, often called an NDC number.

A product’s code is not an approval decision.

Find the exact drug name and check whether it is taken as a pill, a shot, or another form.

Also check what illness FDA approved that product to treat.

A licence record answers who may practise

A state medical board is the state body that gives doctors permission to practise medicine and can take action against them.

Records checked in September 2026 showed whether a doctor had a licence and any public penalties or accusations of breaking the medical board’s rules.

A “clean” record means it shows no public penalty or formal accusation from the medical board.

It does not rate the quality of the doctor’s care.

The Federation of State Medical Boards has a state-board directory, checked in September 2026.

A pharmacy record is a separate check

State pharmacy boards give pharmacies permission to operate.

FDA linked to these state licence searches in information checked in September 2026.

Use the pharmacy’s name, then match the licence record to the name you were given.

A warning letter raises concerns at a point in time

As of September 2026, FDA warned that later contact with a company could change the concerns raised in its warning letter.

A warning letter says FDA believes a company has broken a rule.

It is not a final decision by a court.

If no letter is listed, the company may simply never have been reviewed.

A report does not prove a drug caused harm

FDA’s public reports can flag a problem, but do not prove the drug caused it, under guidance checked in September 2026.

These reports cannot tell you how often the problem happens.

That limits what a list of reports can tell you about your own chance of a problem.