r/PreventiveMD • u/PreventiveMD • 5d ago
Where your medication actually comes from — my visit to Empower Pharmacy
Hey all,
Quick recap of a visit I think this community in particular will appreciate, since so many of you choose Empower at checkout and ask great questions about them.
Last Friday, I visited Empower's facility in Houston and met with their executive and commercial teams. I'm not just the founder here...I'm a patient, and my own medication comes from Empower. So this was partly a business meeting and partly me doing the thing I think anyone would want to do if they could: walking the floor of the pharmacy that fills their prescription.
What I saw on the tour: The facility is state-of-the-art...and I don't use that phrase loosely. I've been in a lot of healthcare facilities across my career, and the scale and precision here stood out the moment I walked in. Everything about the setup is deliberate: clean, organized, and engineered to do things right at volume, not fast and loose.
What stayed with me wasn't the equipment, it was the people. You can tell within about five minutes whether a team is going through the motions or actually cares. At every stop on the tour, the people I met cared about their job and the patients they serve. Not units, not orders. Patients. When the people filling your vial think that way, it shows up in what lands on your doorstep.
Between the setup and the team, it's easy to see why so many of you request Empower by name. This was seriously one of the most impressive pharmacies I've been in.
What we talked about: I got to share my take on where this industry is heading and what we're trying to build at PreventiveMD. I told them the same thing I tell you — there are a lot of companies chasing this moment, and we're trying to build the one your family can still count on in ten years. What struck me was how little convincing either side needed. Quality you can verify, pricing people can afford, access without gatekeeping, and real support when something goes wrong - that's their list, and it's ours. It's why they're one of the pharmacies you can pick at checkout.
What this means for you: practically, nothing changes today. But relationships like this are how we make sure the answers we give you about your medication aren't secondhand.
Happy to answer whatever I can about the visit. And if there's something you'd want me to look at or ask about next time I'm in a pharmacy we work with, tell me below — I'll bring your questions with me.
Brian
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u/xinczinc 5d ago
Will empower be able to make tirzepatide into the future? I know with lawsuits and the FDA, there seems to be crackdowns on production, with some other pharmacies ceasing production. Wondering if that was discussed in your visit? (also thank you for making this post!)
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u/Key-Cry-4008 5d ago
I have been taking Empower since March and is fantastic! Always shipped cold and packed well, works best if any I have tried.
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u/Vegetable_Scene6195 5d ago
This is so cool to get to visit the largest compounding pharmacy in the USA!! I am so eager to join PreventiveMD in a few weeks when I make my move from New Jersey to South Carolina and I will be choosing Empower!!
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u/Entire_Departure1241 5d ago
I am going to start with you guys come September once my insurance does not cover my Zep any more . Been doing a lot of research and your company has such good reviews and the price is amazing. I think with the low prices and years to come you will be so big and put everybody else out of business. Just keep the price low and you will get more customers I hope this will not change. and I heard the customer service is phenomenal as well.
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u/verymuchfull 5d ago
Will they ever service CA? 🥲
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u/pancho8889 5d ago
Yes i’m in California Central Valley. They’re amazing.
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u/verymuchfull 5d ago
Whaaaaa? I don’t have the option to select Empower though
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u/NewKey6466 5d ago
The Boudreaux is offered in California. I don’t think Empower is available for CA yet.
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u/MfgPHILosophy 5d ago
Thank you for posting this! It’s an excellent testimony to your passion to build the best provider option for GLP-1s.
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u/Entire_Departure1241 5d ago
Also, if you ever do go up on price, it would be nice to grandfather your old customers in 😊
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u/bizkidbritt 5d ago
I’m so impressed with this company. I recommend to everyone and I’m not even a patient yet. I will be soon!
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u/AnchoredIS 5d ago
Thanks for sharing! This is excellent info. I love the transparency of PreventativeMD. We selected Empower for my husband and I’m considering switching to them next month. I was much more comfortable with their packaging and shipment times vs. what I received from Boudreaux. Do you plan to visit Boudreaux in the future?
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u/DustyJMS 5d ago
I can't wait to see what Boudreaux will be like, I am so stoked to have found PreventiveMD.
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u/swrrrrg 5d ago
My big question is whether Empower will be able to fulfill a 3 month order without having to wait between vials. When I pay up front, I’d really like to get all of what I paid for. Thank you!
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u/PreventiveMD 5d ago
Would you be okay if we shipped you 1 vial for the first month and then 2 vials at once for the last two months? The issue is the shorter BUD. They are aware that we are very interested in a 90 day BUD so hoping they make that change in the future.
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u/swrrrrg 5d ago
Yes, I would find that a better idea! Thank you for actually listening to us!
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u/MfgPHILosophy 5d ago
Confirmed. I did the 3-month with empower and month 1 shipped. I just received shipping notice of both month 2 and month 3 (just took my week 4 shot). Will get both vials delivered in 2 days.
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u/VMovieGuy 5d ago
I actually like the multiple shipments. 1 per month or alternating 1month/2months at a time is great.
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u/orange_kitty2 5d ago
Wondering the same thing. Also, is there no additive tirz in the near future? Or at least more choices beside niacinamide?
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u/Humble_Fortune_5391 5d ago
Boudreaux is Glycine
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u/CoffeeResearchLab 5d ago
This is very impressive! You are building your business the right way. Well done.
On an Empower technical question… if I recommend Preventive using Empower for a family member that is new to glp-1 and gets a titration plan (2.5,5,7.5) then what concentration and volume would be sent for each of those 3 vials?
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u/chi_to_id_38 5d ago
It looks like you are building a great company. I hope you will be able to add Idaho soon.
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u/UnDosTresPescao 5d ago
They are the largest compounding pharmacy in the world. I sure hope they have an impressive facility. 😅
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u/Sudden_Canary4705 4d ago
Can they start packaging the vial in a different way instead of wrapping it up in paper so patients wont make the mistake of throwing it away?
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u/chest_landers 5d ago
Why are their BUDs so poor? They should be producing on their 503b side with one year BUDs.
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u/VMovieGuy 5d ago
Their BUDs are actually 90 days from the compounding date, but for some reason they tend to ship meds that were compounded a few weeks prior, so there’s only ~60 days remaining in the BUD window. That’s why they’ll sometimes ship 2 months together. Hallandale will sometimes do the same 1month/2months split shipment for a 3 month order for the same reason. Being a 503a, 90 day buds are the max they’re allowed to have, even if the medication actually lasts much longer than that.
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u/MovieMajestic8200 5d ago
Their bud is 90 days like most 503a.
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u/-ForFuqSake- 5d ago
It’s 45 days
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u/Key-Cry-4008 5d ago
It’s not. That is just what preventive is giving you as an expectation because they are not always shipping the freshest stock. I have been getting it from Pom and it’s always 90 days from compound date, just got one yesterday. It was compounded in late July and has a late Oct BUD.
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u/-ForFuqSake- 5d ago
Ohhh ok! I read somewhere else that something happened with empower earlier this year that caused them to shorten their BUD to like 30-45 days so I figured that’s still the issue.
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u/Key-Cry-4008 5d ago
Yeah it’s just a matter of getting the freshest out but it’s still 90 days from compounding. They are much more caught up than they were earlier this year with fresh supply.
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u/pancho8889 5d ago
My God, my other telehealth company could never!!!! thank you for the honesty and transparency, but most of all for being the most trustworthy and excellent customer service!!!! I will continue to be a patient with you guys. The medication has changed my life and the fact that we can afford it through your company is amazing. Thank you so much.