The US agency in charge of reviewing medicines is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Match the record to the question
Use the kind of record that can answer the point in front of you.
- A state medical board's record can list the status of a doctor's licence and any public punishment for breaking the board's rules.
- FDA's state links lead to pharmacy licence searches.
- For a medicine's approval, ask for its FDA approval record and current product information.
- For coverage, ask about the exact plan, product, and use.
Read an FDA letter with its date
An FDA warning letter tells a company what FDA thinks is wrong at the time of the letter.
The company may later fix a problem, or FDA may change its view after more contact with the company.
A letter states FDA's concerns; it is not a final decision proving that the company broke the law, as explained in the September 2026 source record.
- Read what the letter actually says about the product.
- Look for a response or later update.
- Ask whether the record answers the current question.
A problem report has limits
A medicine-problem report describes something unwanted that happened while a person was using a medical product.
A report alone cannot prove that a medicine caused someone's problem, FDA says.
Those reports do not establish how often a problem occurs.
- Ask what the report actually tells us.
- Ask whether there is evidence that the medicine caused the reported problem.
- Bring personal care questions to the care professional.
Keep guidance and state rules apart
Doctors must follow the rules of the state where the patient is during online care, as of September 2026.
The national medical boards' online-care policy gives guidance; it does not itself make state law.
- Ask which state applies to the visit.
- Ask for the current board rule when a rule is cited.
- Keep the source link beside the answer.