The Biden administration plans to reinstate federal requirements for addictive painkillers andꦺ other powerful drugs that were waived when COVID-19 struck three years ago.
The Drug Enforcement Administration said it plans to require patients to see doctors in person again before getting drugs like OxyContin and the ADHD medication Adderall, revamping the entire telemedicine𒀰 industry.
P🃏atients will need to see a doctor in person at least once to get an initial prescription for drugs the feds say have the most potential to be abused — such as Vicodin, OxyContin, and Ritalin. Refills could be prescribed over telehealth appointments.
The agency also plans to clamp down on how doctors prescribe otဣher, less addictive drugs to patients they’ve never physically met. Substances like codeine, taken to alleviate pain or coughing; Xanax, used to treat anxiety; and buprenorphine, a narcotic used to treat opioid addiction; can be prescribed over telehealth for an initial 30-day dose. However, patients wou🦋ld need to see a doctor at least once in person to get refills.
The new rules, announced late Friday, come as the country faces an opioid crisis and is a major blow to a booming tel🌼ehealth industry, which has largely benefitted from the reprieve on in-person visits for drugs brought on by the pandemic.
The DEA has grown increasingly concerned over the last two years that some startup telehealth companies are improperly prescribing addictive substances like opioids or attention deficit disorder medication, putting patients 🐈i𝓡n danger, a DEA official told The Associated Press on Friday.
The official said the agency plans to have the new r🦩ule in place before the COVID-19 public health emergency expires 💙on May 11.
Patients will still be able to get common prescriptions like antibi🎐otics, skin creams, birth control and insulin prescribed through telehealth visi♈ts.
