The pharmacy chapter · checks
Who is treating you, and who makes it?
The person making the care decision and the pharmacy handling the medicine may be different. It helps to check each name in the right place.
The doctor
Check the doctor’s licence
State medical boards are offices that issue licences to doctors and publish whether each licence is current.
They also publish penalties against doctors and formal accusations that a doctor broke the rules, even while the board is still deciding what happened. note a
The pharmacy
Check the pharmacy’s licence
A state board of pharmacy is the office that licenses pharmacies; it is separate from the office that licenses doctors.
For state pharmacy licence searches, follow links provided by FDA, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. note b
Start with the person making the decision
Request two details: the doctor’s full name and the state in which your visit happens.
U.S. guidance, as of September 26, 2026, ties a doctor’s licence or other permission to the patient’s location during a visit. note c
The medical-board directory links to each state’s own board. note a
A record with no listed penalties or accusations against a doctor does not rate how well that doctor cares for patients.
If a different kind of health professional will see you, ask which state office issues that person’s licence and where to read its record.
Get the pharmacy’s full name
With online care, the pharmacy or other maker of a made-to-order medicine may be unclear to patients, FDA notes.
Get the maker’s name and the sender’s name for the medicine.
Most states, as of September 26, 2026, require pharmacies based elsewhere to get a licence or permit before sending medicine into the state. note b
A badge is a different kind of claim
A place described as “FDA registered” has an entry in the agency’s records.
As of September 26, 2026, that listing does not mean FDA has approved the place or its medicines. note d
A drug listing number, called a National Drug Code (NDC), is not proof of FDA approval either. note e
The Federal Trade Commission warns that a convincing seal or logo may still be fake. note f
Ask for the public record behind a badge, then read what that record actually confirms.
Sources behind this chapter
- Medical-board directory: find your state
This lookup route concerns doctors; it is not a search for every kind of health professional. What a board publishes varies by state.
- FDA: open a state pharmacy licence search
This record verifies the pharmacy’s licence, without establishing that its medicine supply practices are correct.