The US agency in charge of reviewing medicines is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Look up the doctor
State medical boards keep public records of doctors' licences and punishments for breaking the board's rules.
The medical boards' national directory links to state and territorial boards.
- Get the doctor's full name and licence details.
- Use the directory to reach the board's own search.
- Match the name and check whether the doctor is allowed to practise now.
- Read any punishment in the record, its date, and what happened afterward.
- Ask the board whether any limits on the doctor's work still apply.
Use the right board for the role
A prescriber is the person who writes the medicine order. Ask which state board holds that person's licence.
- Ask for the prescriber's role in your care.
- Ask for the board and licence details for that role.
- Ask the board about anything in the record that is unclear.
Look up the pharmacy too
FDA's pharmacy lookup page leads to each state's pharmacy licence search.
Most states, under September 2026 rules, require an out-of-state pharmacy to get their permission before sending medicine to patients in that state.
- Get the full name of the pharmacy making or sending your medicine.
- Search the board for the state receiving it.
- Check the name on the label against the name in the record.
- Ask the board to explain any mismatch.
Check a badge against a record
For a business that makes batches of medicine, FDA registration means it chose to join FDA's list of outsourcing facilities, as of September 2026.
Joining that list does not mean FDA approves the business or its medicines.
- Ask what the badge is meant to show.
- Keep the licence check and the product check as separate questions.