Men's Health Briefing: October 12, 2026

The short version

• A quiet week. We found no new FDA, DEA, FTC, or federal telehealth actions on testosterone, GLP-1s, ED or hair-loss drugs affecting men's health since our October 6 briefing.
• The DEA's final telehealth prescribing rule has not been published as of this check. The temporary rules expire December 31, 2026.
• Public comments on the FDA's testosterone-for-women workshop close October 19.

This week

We checked FDA, DEA, and FTC announcements, federal telehealth policy, research news, and news on the providers in our directory. We found nothing dated October 7 – 12 that we could confirm with a primary source and that changes treatment access, cost, safety, or health data for men's health readers, so we are not padding this briefing. Medicare telehealth coverage remains in place through December 31, 2027. For background on the most recent agency actions, see our September 25 briefing.

What we're watching

• The DEA's final telemedicine rule, which was sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget on August 25, 2026. The federal regulatory agenda lists November 2026 for final action, ahead of the December 31 expiration of the temporary telehealth prescribing rules. We found no publication of the rule as of October 12. If you get testosterone through a telehealth-only provider, nothing has changed yet. (NASCSA)
• Testosterone for women, following the FDA's September 17 public workshop. Comments are open through October 19, 2026. (Public comment docket)
• Testosterone label updates as manufacturers revise their prescribing information after the FDA's June 2026 request. See our TRT guide for what the research shows.
• Compounded GLP-1 enforcement, including any follow-up to the FDA's September 18 warning letter to Empower Pharmacy, which the FDA made public on September 22. A warning letter states the FDA's concerns and is not a final finding. (Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney · Related: our GLP-1 guide)
• The FTC's case against Hims & Hers, filed July 29, 2026. The allegations have not been proven, and the company has said it disputes them. (FTC case page · Our Hims review)

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