Telemedicine startups are bracing for a regulatory shift as the Drug Enforcement Administration's proposal to tighten the regulation of controlled substances nears completion.
Critics argue that the clampdown will limit access to opioid therapy
for those living in remote regions and dealing with stigma. This may
further complicate the opioid crisis as only 22% of people use
opioid-use disorder medications, per the National Institute of Drug
Abuse.
- Under
the new proposal, telemedicine startups will be able to prescribe to
patients a 30-day supply of buprenorphine, a drug used to treat opioid
addiction, but will need in-person examination thereafter to provide
additional prescriptions.
- Recently
the DEA banned online prescriptions of Adderall for first-time
patients, citing the improper prescriptions given by telehealth
companies during the pandemic.
- Although
buprenorphine can be misused, Brian Hurley, the president of the
American Society of Addiction Medicine, believes that telemedicine
mediums are critical in making the drug accessible.
- DEA removed the in-person examination requirement after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- VC funding for opioid addiction treatment startups surged to $279.7M, nearly seven times higher than 2017's totals of $38.6M.
