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The source primer

# What can the evidence actually tell me?

Begin with a small question: does this source answer the thing I need to know? A licence record, a product label and an advert do different jobs.

[What can an approved label tell me?](#label) [What does a medicine code prove?](#number) [What if someone took back a request to the FDA?](#withdrawn)

## What can an approved label tell me?

A medicine label is the product’s official information sheet.

The Food and Drug Administration is called FDA for short. This agency reviews particular medicine products.

For an FDA-approved product, the information sheet lists the uses the FDA reviewed and the harms known for that medicine.

Compounded medicines are prepared to order by pharmacists or doctors. As of September 26, 2026, these medicines do not go through FDA approval review.

Does the evidence match this particular medicine and the purpose for offering it to me?

Source note [FDA: an example of an approved label](https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2026/215256s025lbl.pdf)

## What does a medicine code prove?

The FDA’s drug-product list identifies each product by its National Drug Code (NDC).

FDA guidance as of September 26, 2026, says an NDC code can identify a medicine that lacks FDA approval.

Being on that list is not the same as having FDA approval.

Where is the actual approval record for this product?

Source note [FDA: how its drug codes work](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-approvals-and-databases/national-drug-code-directory)

## What if someone took back a request to the FDA?

People can ask the FDA to add an ingredient to its list for making medicines to order. That list is one part of the rules for what ingredients a pharmacy can use.

As of September 26, 2026, the FDA’s list of peptide requests that had been taken back still included warnings about possible harm.

Taking back a request does not give a pharmacy legal permission to use the ingredient to make a medicine.

Can you show the current official record, rather than a headline about it?

Source note [FDA: requests that were taken back](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks)

## Which Minnesota records answer my care questions?

As of October 1, 2026, Minnesota’s medical, nursing and pharmacy boards offer public licence checks.

Use the record for the person or pharmacy involved. Match the full name, licence type and status.

Source note [Minnesota: public professional profiles](https://mn.gov/boards/medical-practice/consumers/find-practitioner/index.jsp)

[Doctor or physician assistant Board of Medical Practice · licence records](https://mn.gov/boards/medical-practice/consumers/find-practitioner/index.jsp) [Nurse practitioner or nurse Board of Nursing · licence checks](https://mn.gov/boards/nursing/) [Pharmacy Board of Pharmacy · licence checks](https://mn.gov/boards/pharmacy/)

## What if I get a different answer?

Keep the date beside any answer you save. If a service describes a newer rule, ask for the official record and read its date.

What changed, when did it change, and where can I read it?

The next question

Use the records to shape the next conversation.

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This Minneapolis question desk is a guide. We are not a clinic, and we do not sell medicines.

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