Federal officials on Friday said health providers could prescribe drugs for opioid addiction and ADHD over telehealth for one more year, ending a months-long stalemate among policymakers.
During the pandemic, the Drug Enforcement Agency issued temporary rules that allowed providers to prescribe controlled substances like buprenorphine and Adderall without first meeting a patient in person. Those rules were set to expire on Jan. 1, and have now been extended until the end of 2025. The extension kicks the resolution of a years-long debate — one that has already elicited nearly 40,000 comments on earlier proposed rules — to the second Trump administration, and agency leadership that is yet to be determined.
The pandemic flexibilities paved the way for a broader conversation about the strict rules that some argue inhibit access to potentially lifesaving treatments. It also proved a boon to telehealth companies that cropped up to provide care under the loosened regime.
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