FDA Drug Listings: What You Need to Know About Approved Medications

When you pick up a prescription, you’re relying on the FDA drug listings, a public database of all medications approved for sale in the U.S. that includes safety, efficacy, and substitution rules. Also known as the FDA’s drug approval registry, it’s the backbone of every pharmacy’s decision-making process. This isn’t just paperwork—it’s what keeps you safe when your pharmacist hands you a generic version of your brand-name drug.

The FDA Orange Book, the official public list that tracks therapeutic equivalence of drugs. Also known as Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations, it’s where pharmacists check if a generic version can legally replace your brand-name pill without risking your health. Not all generics are created equal. Some have the same active ingredients but different fillers or release patterns, and the Orange Book sorts them out using TE codes. If a drug has an "A" code, it’s approved for substitution. If it’s "B," it’s not. This system saves U.S. patients billions every year and keeps prescriptions affordable without cutting corners on safety.

But the FDA doesn’t just approve drugs and walk away. It watches for problems after they hit the market—like heart rhythm risks with certain antibiotics, or dangerous interactions between herbal supplements and blood thinners. That’s why you’ll find posts here about macrolide antibiotics needing ECG checks, or Ginkgo Biloba raising bleeding risk with warfarin. These aren’t random warnings. They’re direct results of FDA monitoring and reporting systems tied to the drug listings.

What you won’t always see on the label is how insurance rules like copay accumulator programs can turn a cheap generic into a financial trap. Or how some HCG products sold online aren’t even FDA-approved, even if they claim to be. The FDA drug listings don’t cover every product sold under the counter, so knowing what’s officially listed—and what isn’t—is your first line of defense.

Below, you’ll find real-world breakdowns of how specific drugs stack up against alternatives—whether it’s comparing Actos to newer diabetes meds, or checking if Melacare Forte is safer than hydroquinone. These aren’t abstract comparisons. They’re grounded in the same FDA data that tells pharmacists what can be swapped, what needs extra caution, and what’s just plain risky. You’re not just reading about drugs—you’re learning how to read the system that controls them.