Biden Proposal Would Ban Online Prescribing of Certain Drugs

The Biden administration on Friday proposed tighter limits on the web prescription of some medicines, together with the eye deficit hyperactivity dysfunction drug Adderall and extremely addictive opioids resembling oxycodone, a partial reversal of coverage modifications made throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

The brand new rules, which might require well being care suppliers to have not less than one in-person go to with sufferers earlier than prescribing or refilling sure medication, would take impact after the general public well being emergency for Covid ends on Might 11, the Drug Enforcement Administration stated in an announcement.

The rise of telemedicine expanded entry to well being care, significantly in rural areas, throughout the pandemic. It additionally allowed docs to write down thousands and thousands of prescriptions with out ever assembly sufferers in particular person — creating the potential for misuse, critics have stated.

The rule change, a part of the D.E.A.’s efforts to fight the lethal opioid epidemic in the USA, seeks to stability the benefits of telehealth with extra safeguards, based on the company.

Some consultants, together with advocates for dependancy therapy, known as them overly restrictive, presumably making it more durable for sufferers to get the care they want. Matthew Cortland, a senior fellow at Knowledge for Progress, a left-leaning assume tank, said on Twitter that limiting entry to medication like buprenorphine, which is used to deal with opioid use dysfunction, “will kill individuals.” Deaths from opioid overdoses hit file ranges in 2021.

However some well being care suppliers and legislation enforcement officers have praised the tighter guidelines as crucial to forestall the misuse and abuse of managed substances. Anne Milgram, a D.E.A. administrator, stated that improper prescribing by on-line telehealth corporations throughout the pandemic prompted its determination to suggest the foundations.

A Instances investigation discovered that the prescription of ketamine through telemedicine to deal with despair had raised considerations concerning the potential for abuse and lack of oversight. Some clinics offering telemedicine companies for ketamine therapy didn’t conduct sufficient screenings or follow-up care, probably resulting in sufferers receiving the drug with out correct medical supervision.

Beneath the proposed guidelines, some medication, together with Adderall and OxyContin, would require an in-person assembly with prescribers first. For some others, together with buprenorphine and a few nonnarcotic medication like Ambien, Valium, Xanax and ketamine, medical practitioners might be allowed to prescribe a one-month provide via telemedicine, with an in-person session required for refills. Sufferers will nonetheless have the ability to get medicines like antibiotics, pores and skin lotions, contraception and insulin completely via telemedicine.

The proposal will endure a 30-day interval of public remark, after which the D.E.A. will concern a closing rule, the company stated.