Posts Tagged ‘DEA’
AG Sessions Announces DEA Surge to Combat Prescription Drug Diversion
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced this week that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will surge Special Agents, Diversion Investigators and Intelligence Research Specialists over the next 45 days to focus on pharmacies and prescribers who are dispensing unusual or disproportionate amounts of controlled substances. The DEA plans to analyze the data from 80 million transaction…
Read MoreDistribution of Compounded Prescription Drugs for Animal Use into Colorado
In late 2017, the Colorado Board of Pharmacy (Board) sent notice to all facilities registered with the Board as nonresident pharmacies. The notification addressed the distribution of medications into Colorado. The notification states, in part, the following: “Colorado law and Board rule (CRS 12-42.5-118.5 and Board Rules 21.00.20(d)) allow a nonresident pharmacy (“Pharmacy”) to distribute…
Read MoreColorado Senate Bill 16-158: Physician Assistant's Performing Functions Delegated by a Physician
On June 1, 2016, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed Senate Bill 16-158: Concerning the Ability of a Physician Assistant to Perform Functions Delegated by a Physician that are within the Physician Assistant’s Scope of Practice. The bill, which went into effect on August 10, 2016, requires that a physician assistant prescription order meet the…
Read MoreCVS Agrees to Pay Millions to Settle Allegations of Filling Forged Prescriptions
Earlier this year, CVS paid $8 million for alleged violations of the Controlled Substance Act in its Maryland pharmacies. Last week, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced that CVS has agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle allegations that its pharmacists filled forged prescriptions, mostly for addictive painkillers, between 2011 and…
Read MoreColorado Pharmacy Legislation Update: Modifying the PDMP
HB14-1283: Modify Prescription Drug Monitoring Program HB14-1283 modifies the electronic prescription drug monitoring as follows: The dissemination of automatic reports to prescribers and pharmacies when a patient meets a defined threshold that takes into account the number of prescribers and pharmacies visited within a certain timeframe. Reports started in September 2014. Allows a prescribing practitioner…
Read MorePharmacists Must Ensure Prescription Orders are Issued for a Legitimate Medical Purpose by an Authorized Prescriber and Have a Recognized Medical Utility or Application
As discussed previously on the Baer Law Blog, corresponding responsibility remains one of the most misunderstood or unknown concepts found in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) regulations. The DEA’s regulations (21 CFR 1306.04) regarding corresponding responsibility state: A prescription for a controlled substance to be effective must be issued for a legitimate medical purpose by an…
Read MoreCountdown to October 6, 2014: Hydrocodone Containing Product Reclassification
As discussed previously here on the Baer Law Blog, after more than a decade of debate, hydrocodone containing products (HCPs) are being reclassified from Schedule III to the more restrictive Schedule II controlled substances category starting October 6, 2014. HCPs are the most prescribed drug in the United States, second only to levothyroxine, a thyroid…
Read MoreUpdated Controlled Substances Disposal Requirements: Effective October 9, 2014
Historically, under the Controlled Substance Act (CSA), patients could only dispose of unused controlled substances themselves or deliver the controlled substances to law enforcement officials. In October 2010, the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act (Disposal Act) of 2010 was enacted with the goal of facilitating more convenient and secure disposal options. The Disposal Act…
Read MoreDisposing of Unused Controlled Substances: DEA Expands Prescription Drug Take-Back
In early October, disposing of unused medications, including controlled substances, will likely get much easier as the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is expanding the options to collect medications with the hopes that the rule expansion will discourage individuals from simply flushing drugs down the toilet, throwing drugs away or leaving drugs in medicine cabinets. With…
Read MoreHydrocodone Combination Products Moving to Schedule II
On August 22, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) published a final rule to move hydrocodone combination products (HCPs) from Schedule III to Schedule II. The change takes effect on October 6, 2014. Under the finale rule, all Schedule II requirements with respect to security, labeling and packaging, inventory, record keeping and reporting, etc., will apply to…
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