How we score suppliers
The score shows how much of a supplier's identity and quality documentation we could check ourselves, using its website, lab reports, company registries and public regulator records. It is not a product guarantee or a regulatory approval.
| Band | What it means |
|---|---|
| High (90–100) | Regulator-inspected manufacturing, established public companies, or retail suppliers whose own-lot lab reports can be confirmed with the lab and go beyond purity and identity. |
| Medium (70–89) | Live suppliers with research-use positioning and no red flags. Position in the band depends on the evidence below. |
| Low (below 70) | A specific problem: an open FDA warning letter, an open lawsuit, lab reports that are not genuine, or a site that is offline. |
Research suppliers and resellers
A live store with research-use positioning starts at 70. Each of the following adds 5 points:
- Named legal entity. The operating company is stated on the site or found in a registry.
- Lab-verifiable reports. COAs carry a task number, verification key or lab-hosted link the testing lab itself answers.
- Own-lot reports. Certificates name the supplier or its own lot numbers, not upstream reports.
All three gives 85. Reaching 90 requires own-lot testing beyond purity and identity, such as endotoxin or sterility.
Manufacturers and CDMOs
These are scored on two questions. Either one, with no FDA warning letter or import alert in five years, gives High:
- GMP on a regulator record: an FDA inspection, EudraGMDP certificate or a certificate from a named regulator. Marketing wording such as “cGMP facility” does not count.
- Established company: listed on a stock exchange or operating for 20 years or more.
One route gives 90. Both routes give 95, and 98 if the company also holds active US Drug Master Files for peptide APIs in its own name. A manufacturer with neither route, or with an FDA warning letter in the last five years, scores 75.
What caps or lowers a score
- An open FDA warning letter or lawsuit over unapproved drugs caps the score at 60 until resolved. Letters are listed in the FDA enforcement tracker.
- Self-issued or modelled lab reports presented as independent testing cap the score at 50.
- Products sold in human-use formats or with weight-loss claims stay at 70.
- An offline website drops the score to 10; the listing is removed if it stays down.
Manual adjustments
Scores are calculated from the evidence recorded for each listing. In rare cases an editor can set a different score; the listing then shows “Manually adjusted”, the calculated score and the reason.
Paid listings
Manufacturers and CDMOs can pay for a Verified listing or a Sponsored placement. Sponsored listings are shown first and always carry a Sponsored label. Neither changes the score. Sponsored placement is not available to listings with a score below 70, an open FDA warning letter or lawsuit, or human-use products. See placement options.
What never counts
- Purity claims without a report behind them.
- “Pharmaceutical grade” or “GMP-aligned” wording without a named certificate.
- Verification pages hosted by the supplier itself.
- Paying for a listing. Fees buy placement and a deeper review, never points.