Check the names.Then check the claim.

Sources and what each one helps you check

Open the source that answers your question.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) checks each medicine for the uses it is meant to treat.

• To check a doctor or physician assistant

  Start with the person’s name.

  Missouri Healing Arts board ↗

  As of October 1, 2026, this board licenses doctors and physician assistants. It links to Missouri’s online licence search, called MOPRO.

  Check that the licence type and name in the record belong to the person you would see. Ask the board about any record you do not understand.

• To check a nurse practitioner

  Use the nursing record.

  Missouri nursing board ↗

  Missouri’s nursing board licenses nurse practitioners and links to the same online licence search, as checked on October 1, 2026.

  As of October 1, 2026, a Missouri nurse practitioner needs a written arrangement with a doctor to prescribe.

  Under the rule checked on October 1, 2026, that doctor must regularly review some of the nurse’s patient records.

  Ask for that doctor’s name and how to speak with the doctor if you have questions about your care.

• To check who fills the prescription

  Get the pharmacy’s name.

  Missouri pharmacy board ↗

  As of October 1, 2026, a pharmacy outside Missouri generally needs a Missouri licence before sending prescription medicine into the state.

  Under the rule checked on October 1, 2026, a pharmacy may send medicine for an emergency without that Missouri licence. The same rule allows a lawful refill without that licence if the original prescription was filled and delivered to you in the pharmacy’s own state.

  For a refill, ask: “Where was my original prescription first filled and delivered to me?” Ask the Missouri pharmacy board if you are unsure whether either exception fits.

  Look for the board’s “Licensee Search” link to search its licence records. Check the pharmacy that actually prepares or sends the medicine.

• To understand a made-to-order medicine

  Know what can go wrong.

  FDA questions on medicines made to order ↗

  Making a medicine for a particular patient is known as compounding.

  The part of a medicine that does the work is its active ingredient.

  FDA’s advice, checked in September 2026, warns that a medicine made badly can contain dirt or too much or too little active ingredient.

  Ask what need calls for a medicine made to order and who can explain how it is prepared.

• To check claims about newer medicines

  Check what FDA says about the medicine.

  FDA concerns about unapproved weight-loss drugs ↗

  Under US law checked in September 2026, retatrutide and cagrilintide cannot be used to make medicines to order.

  Compare the medicine’s active ingredient name with the names in the FDA source.

• To understand shortage claims

  Check the national list.

  FDA notes on supply and compounding ↗

  As of September 2026, FDA did not list semaglutide or tirzepatide as being in short supply nationwide.

  A local pharmacy’s empty shelf is different from a listing for a national shortage.

  If the reason for making your medicine to order is a shortage, ask for the exact medicine’s entry on FDA’s national list. If the reason is your medical need, ask why an approved medicine cannot meet it. Ask the Missouri pharmacy board about an answer you cannot check.

Before agreeing to care

What calls for a pause?

A prescription drug offered without a prescription

Under US law checked in September 2026, giving someone a prescription medicine with no valid prescription is against the law.

Approval claimed from a name or code on a list

FDA registration is a record of a drug-making business. A drug-directory listing is a product’s entry in a government list of medicines.

As of September 2026, neither record proves FDA approval or legal permission to sell the medicine.

Ask the clinician to show the FDA approval for the exact medicine and its proposed use.

A pharmacy name you cannot verify

In advice checked in September 2026, FDA describes fake labels on made-to-order medicines. Some name pharmacies that do not exist; others name real pharmacies that did not make the medicine.

When something needs reporting

Take the concern to the right place.

For a concern about a Missouri doctor or physician assistant, the Healing Arts board links to a complaint form, as checked on October 1, 2026.

Missouri’s pharmacy board takes complaints but cannot obtain a refund or settle a billing dispute for you, as checked on October 1, 2026.

MedWatch is FDA’s medicine-problem reporting service for patients and health staff, as checked in September 2026.