How We Review

Consulting official sources

We begin with primary, official information, guidance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), along with each provider’s own published pages. We link to these sources so you can check them yourself.

Verifying prices and terms

Prices, fees, eligibility rules, and cancellation terms change frequently and can vary by state. We confirm them against the provider’s own current pages and record the date we checked. When a specific detail cannot be verified, we label itNot yet verified rather than publish a number we cannot stand behind.

Distinguishing approved from compounded medications

We treat FDA-approved and compounded medications as fundamentally different, because they are. Compounded products are not FDA-approved and are not reviewed by the FDA for safety, effectiveness, or quality in the same way. We never describe a compounded medication as equivalent to an approved one. See our guide on the key differences.

Checking for conflicts of interest

Editorial conclusions are formed independently of any commercial relationship. Affiliate links are disclosed clearly, and compensation does not determine a rating or recommendation. See our Affiliate Disclosure.

Applying consistent factors

Every program is assessed against the same eight factors:

1. Pricing transparency
2. Medical-provider involvement
3. Medication sourcing disclosures
4. Eligibility process
5. Ongoing support
6. Cancellation and refund terms
7. Safety information
8. Customer-service accessibility

Applying the same criteria to each program keeps comparisons fair. You can read the reader-facing version in How We Evaluate Online Weight-Care Programs.

Updating regularly

Because this field moves quickly, we revisit content on a schedule and after notable changes. Each guide shows a visible “last updated” date so you know how current it is.

Correcting errors in public

When we get something wrong, we fix it openly and note what changed. We would rather be accurate than appear infallible.

Independence between compensation and conclusions

This is the core promise: our revenue model, now or in the future, does not decide our editorial conclusions. Any future affiliate relationship will be labeled, and it will never buy a favorable review.