How we assess evidence
Written and maintained by the AVERON Research Desk · Last reviewed September 2026
Every compound page on this site opens with a badge showing one of four evidence levels. This page explains exactly what each level means, how we decide which one applies, and what the badge does not tell you.
The four levels
Approved Medicine. A government regulator has approved the compound, in a specific form, for a specific medical use. This is the highest level of evidence, because approval requires large controlled trials in people. It applies only to that form and that use. The research-grade material AVERON supplies is not the approved product.
Human Trial Data. Published phase 2 or phase 3 trials in people exist, but no regulator has approved the compound. There is real human evidence, but it has not yet passed regulatory review, and long-term safety data may be limited.
Early Human Data. Only small, short, uncontrolled or early-stage studies in people exist, or human evidence is limited to one specific form of use, such as a skin cream. Human data exists but is too limited to support firm conclusions.
Preclinical Only. The evidence comes from cell cultures or animal studies. There are no controlled trials in people showing benefit. Results in animals often fail to carry over to humans.
How we assign a level
We base each level on published, verifiable sources. We give the most weight to primary sources: peer-reviewed studies, clinical trial registries, and documents from regulators such as the FDA, the European Medicines Agency and Indonesia's BPOM. We use reviews and summaries to find those sources, not to replace them.
When sources disagree, we say so on the compound page rather than quietly choosing one. When a claim circulates widely online without a source we can verify, we leave it out.
What a level does not mean
It does not transfer between uses. A compound approved for one condition is not approved, or proven, for anything else. Tesamorelin, for example, is approved for a specific type of abdominal fat in people with HIV-associated lipodystrophy. That approval says nothing about its use for general fat loss.
It is not a safety rating. Approved medicines have known side effects. A higher level means more is known, including more about risks.
It is not a recommendation. A badge describes the state of the evidence. It is not advice to use, or avoid, any compound.
It is not permanent. Research moves. When new trials are published or a regulator makes a decision, we update the page and its review date.
Why we do this
Most sellers describe every compound with the same confidence, whether it has been studied in thousands of people or only in rats. We think that misleads buyers. A consistent, visible evidence level on every page is our attempt to make the difference obvious.