Let's put the care words in plain language.

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Active ingredient

The ingredient responsible for a medicine’s effect, as distinct from those that carry or preserve it.

Adverse event

An unwanted experience associated with a medical product. Reporting a problem alone does not establish that the medical product caused it.

Compounded medicine

A medicine made to meet a patient’s needs by a pharmacist or doctor. It is not approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).

FDA approval

Review and acceptance of a particular drug for named uses by the Food and Drug Administration, the US medicine regulator.

Formulary

Your insurance plan’s list of drugs it will pay for, subject to the plan’s coverage terms.

Generic medicine

A generic has its own FDA approval and copies a brand-name medicine. A compounded medicine is not an approved generic.

GLP-1

A chemical signal made naturally in your body, helping to control blood sugar and hunger. Medicines that copy its action are called GLP-1 drugs and can help manage weight or treat diabetes.

Licence

A state board’s permission to practise. The board for the person’s role holds the record to check.

NDC number

A product code in the National Drug Code directory. The FDA says the code does not mean it approved the product.

Off-label

Use of an approved medicine for something beyond the uses named in its approved label.

Prior authorization

Your plan’s approval process before it agrees to pay toward a medicine. Ask what the prescriber must send to the plan.

Research use only

A label saying a product is for research, not for treating people. The FDA has challenged sellers who used that label while offering unapproved treatments.

Self-pay

Paying for a medicine outside insurance. A maker’s cash offer may have different terms from an insurance savings card.

Telehealth

Care from a distance, through a screen, a call, or information shared online instead of a visit in a room.

Warning letter

An FDA notice setting out concerns about a company. It is not a court ruling. The company’s reply and later FDA messages may change the status of the concerns. Search the FDA’s letter records by company name and look for a reply or a letter saying the matter is closed.