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Drug Safety
Before any drug can be sold in the United States, it must be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This is true whether it's a prescription or an over-the-counter drug. The FDA evaluates both the effectiveness and safety of a drug by looking at: • How animal testing and human clinical trials affect the condition the drug is treating
Source: National Library of Medicine · MedlinePlus
Source checked 2026-10-15
Health-topic summary from MedlinePlus.gov ↗. Presented as source material, not a clinical review by WellPrimer. No endorsement is implied.
Before any drug can be sold in the United States, it must be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This is true whether it's a prescription or an over-the-counter drug. The FDA evaluates both the effectiveness and safety of a drug by looking at:
• How animal testing and human clinical trials affect the condition the drug is treating
• If any side effects occur
• How it's manufactured
• What the labeling says
The FDA also monitors a drug's safety after approval. Health care providers and patients can report drug side effects through the FDA's MedWatch website.
For you, drug safety means buying online only from licensed pharmacies located in the United States. It also means knowing how to take your medicines correctly.
Source
Public-domain MedlinePlus health-topic summary. Source: MedlinePlus.gov / National Library of Medicine. Linked third-party content and images are not reproduced.
Educational information only. Ask a qualified clinician or pharmacist about your individual symptoms, diagnosis and medicines.