What makes a prescription valid — and why we check every one
Debraj Pharma Pharmacy Team · August 6, 2026 · 4 min read
A prescription is more than a piece of paper. Here is exactly what our pharmacists look at before an order moves forward.
Every order placed on this site stops at the same desk: a registered pharmacist's. Before anything is dispensed, that pharmacist works through a checklist that federal and state law require. Here is what is on it.
1. A genuine prescriber–patient relationship
A valid prescription comes from a prescriber who has actually evaluated you. Under the Ryan Haight Act, that evaluation must be in person or through a form of telemedicine that specifically qualifies. A questionnaire filled in on a website is not an evaluation.
2. The prescriber is licensed and registered
We verify the prescriber's name and NPI. For controlled substances we also verify a valid DEA registration. If either does not check out, the order stops.
3. The prescription is current
Prescriptions expire. In most states a non-controlled prescription is valid for one year from the issue date; Schedule III–V prescriptions expire after six months or five refills, whichever comes first; Schedule II prescriptions cannot be refilled at all.
4. Refills remain
We track refills used against refills authorised. When they run out, we contact your prescriber for a new prescription rather than quietly filling it again.
5. It is clinically appropriate
The pharmacist checks the dose against the indication, looks for interactions with the other medication on your file, and considers your allergy history. Pharmacists have both the right and the duty to refuse a prescription they judge unsafe.
What happens if something is wrong
You get told. We contact you with the specific reason, and where the issue is fixable — an illegible date, a missing signature — we tell you exactly what to ask your prescriber for.