10 Red Flags of a Sketchy GLP-1 Website (and How to Check FDA Warning Letters)

Most of these come straight from FDA’s consumer guidance on unapproved GLP-1s and from the violations FDA cited in its 2026 warning letters.

The 10 red flags

1. Claims that a compounded product matches a brand-name drug or has FDA approval. Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved and are not generics.
2. No prescription or screening required. A legitimate provider requires an evaluation by a licensed clinician.
3. Prices that seem too good to be true. FDA lists deep discounts as a warning sign.
4. No named pharmacy. You should know who compounds and dispenses your medication.
5. Products branded only with the telehealth company’s name, with no explanation of who actually makes them. FDA cited this in 2026.
6. “Research use only” or peptide-vendor language. Products like retatrutide cannot be used in compounding under federal law, according to FDA.
7. No clinician available after you get your medication.
8. Medication that looks different from before or from the photos, or arrives broken, damaged, or warm.
9. Spelling errors or wrong addresses on the label.
10. Hidden recurring charges or hard-to-find cancellation terms.

How to check FDA warning letters in 2 minutes

1. Open FDA’s warning-letter database.
2. Search the brand name, then the legal company name from the site’s terms of service. Letters are often addressed to an LLC “dba” the brand.
3. Read the “Subject” line. For GLP-1s, look for “False & Misleading Claims/Misbranded (Telehealth)” or “Unlawful Sale of Unapproved and Misbranded Drugs.”
4. Check the date. A letter isn’t a court finding, but a recent one is a serious signal.

We run this check on every provider we rank. Providers with 2025–2026 letters are never featured, are scored lower, and show the letter on their card. See our rankings page.