Biote review: cost, pharmacy and complaints

What Biote is

biote Corp. describes itself in its annual report as a practice-building company. It trains practitioners in hormone pellet therapy and sells dietary supplements. As of Dec 31 2025 it reported more than 9,200 Biote-trained practitioners and more than 5,300 partnered clinics ^[1]. Most of its pellets are made by Asteria Health, a 503B outsourcing facility Biote owns ^[1].

When you search for "Biote near me", you are finding independent clinics that use Biote's training and products. Each sets its own fees and has its own complaint record.

Pellet facts

• Pellets are inserted during a clinic visit, and insertions are typically repeated every 3 to 4 months, per clinic marketing pages ^[3].
• Biote's pellets are compounded. Its 10-K states that "FDA does not verify the safety or effectiveness of compounded products" ^[1].
• A 2020 National Academies review, commissioned by FDA, found insufficient evidence for the clinical utility of compounded bioidentical hormone therapy. It recommended FDA consider adding pellets to its Difficult to Compound list ^[4].
• FDA says that review concluded widespread use of compounded bioidentical hormones "poses a public health concern" ^[5].
• The Menopause Society's 2022 position statement says compounded bioidentical hormones raise safety concerns, including overdosing or underdosing, impurities and limited safety data ^[6].

Ask the clinic how it sets the dose and what happens if side effects start between insertions. Our bioidentical hormones guide explains the difference between FDA-approved and compounded options.

What Biote pellets cost

Reported Biote pellet prices and FDA-approved comparisons

Item	Price	What is included	Checked	Source
Biote pellet insertion, women (clinics surveyed)	$395 to $450 per visit	Insertion; labs, consult and supplements often extra	Jun 19 2026	The HRT Index [2]
Biote pellet insertion, wider market	About $350 to $600 per visit	Varies by clinic	Jun 19 2026	The HRT Index [2]
Biote pellets, yearly	About $1,200 to $1,600	3 to 4 insertions	Jun 19 2026	The HRT Index [2]
Generic estradiol patch, 4 patches (FDA-approved, retail)	$22.66 to $34.41 with coupon	Medication only	Oct 16 2026	GoodRx [7]
Generic estradiol 1 mg, 90 tablets (FDA-approved, retail)	$22.71 with coupon	Medication only	Oct 16 2026	GoodRx [7]

Hidden costs to ask about

• Lab work before the first insertion and between insertions ^[2]
• A separate consult fee ^[2]
• Supplements sold by the clinic; Biote sells supplements to its network ^[1]
• Insurance: ask the clinic in writing whether any part of the pellet visit is billed to insurance. Coverage for hormone therapy depends on the plan, and Medicare Part D can cover FDA-approved hormones ^[8]

FDA and complaint record

Biote is not among the telehealth companies in our FDA warning letter tracker. We did not check BBB profiles for Biote or its partner clinics. Because each clinic is a separate business, check the specific clinic's state license, BBB profile and written price list before booking.

The label change does not apply to pellets

The Nov 2025 FDA action removed boxed warning language on cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and probable dementia from FDA-approved menopausal hormone therapy labels, and kept the endometrial cancer boxed warning on systemic estrogen-alone products ^[9]. Compounded pellets have no FDA-approved label, so that change does not cover them.

Other ways to get hormone therapy

FDA-approved estradiol comes as pills, patches, gels, sprays and vaginal products, and costs far less at retail (see table). Telehealth clinics we rate clean on a provisional basis include Midi Health and Evernow. For men, testosterone options are covered in our TRT guide. Full pellet pricing is on the hormone pellet cost page, and in-person options are on HRT near me.