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    • DEA Proposes Rule to Expand Partial Filling of Schedule II Prescriptions; Will the Benefit be Cost-Effective?December 11th, 2020

      Pharmacists, in general, can partially fill any prescription for non-controlled and most Schedule III-V controlled substances.  Partial filling has several benefits, including reducing waste and potentially lowering the cost of a prescription.  However, Schedule II (C-II) controlled drugs are an exception to general rule allowing …

    • FDA Law Alert – December 2020December 4th, 2020

      To close out 2020, Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C. is pleased to present the latest issue of our quarterly newsletter highlighting key postings from our nationally acclaimed FDA Law Blog.  Please subscribe to the FDA Law Blog to receive contemporaneous posts on regulatory and enforcement …

    • Ready, Steady Go! Empire State Set to Establish Closed System For Cannabinoid Hemp Products Including CBDDecember 1st, 2020

      Cannabidiol (“CBD”) products are everywhere.  They are sold in pharmacies, as well as grocery, health food and convenience stores, and over the Internet.  To protect its citizens in the absence of federal requirements governing CBD and hemp-derived products for human consumption, the New York Department …

    • Code Blue All Clear: DEA Proposes Registering Emergency Medical Services AgenciesNovember 17th, 2020

      Recently, the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (“NPRM”) that provides much needed clarity on the requirements for how emergency medical services handle controlled substances.  The NPRM would codify its regulations consistent with the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act …

    • Further Musings about DEA’s “Suspicious Order” Proposed Rule: What Will a Registrant be Required to Report?November 12th, 2020

      As we blogged about last week, DEA published its long-anticipated Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) addressing suspicious orders of controlled substances.  The Proposed Rule is intended to (finally) “clarify” the procedures that DEA registrants must follow for what DEA now deems “orders received under suspicious …

    • No Longer “Waiting for Godot,” Godot has arrived. DEA Finally Issues a Proposed Rule on Suspicious OrdersNovember 3rd, 2020

      Today, more than two years after Congress passed the Preventing Drug Diversion Act of 2018 (PDDA) and after more than a decade of industry requests for regulations addressing the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) interpretation of suspicious order requirements under 21 C.F.R. § 1301.74(b), DEA has …

    • Hemp By Any Other Name…October 21st, 2020

      Back on August 20, 2020, the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) issued an Interim Final Rule (“IFR”) purporting to “clarify” certain provisions of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (“AIA”).  As we explained back when Congress passed the AIA in December 2018, the AIA upended the …

    • New York Opioid Stewardship Act: Take 2 from the Second CircuitSeptember 16th, 2020

      On Monday, September 14, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed the December 2018 opinion from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York that invalidated the New York Opioid Stewardship Act (OSA).  In Association for Accessible …

    • FDA Law Alert – September 2020September 10th, 2020

      During these unprecedented times, Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C. is pleased to bring you the next installment of our quarterly newsletter highlighting key postings from our nationally acclaimed FDA Law Blog.  Please subscribe to the FDA Law Blog to receive contemporaneous posts on regulatory and …

    • DEA Publishes Proposed Rulemaking Addressing Reporting of Thefts and Significant Losses of Controlled SubstancesJuly 30th, 2020

      On July 29, 2020, DEA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled, “Reporting of Thefts or Significant Loss of Controlled Substances.”  (85 Fed. Reg. 45547 (Jul. 29, 2020)). See Federal Register notice here.  As registrants are well aware, the current DEA regulation addressing reporting to …

    • Up, Up and But Not Away: DEA Raises Registration FeesJuly 29th, 2020

      An interesting aspect of a federal or state administrative agency seeking appropriations or raising fees is its justification for doing so and the light it sheds on the priorities for fulfilling its mission.  The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (“DEA’s”) recent increase of initial registration and renewal …

    • USDA Approves, Continues to Review, Additional Hemp Production PlansJune 3rd, 2020

      The U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) continues to consider and approve state and tribal hemp production plans, announcing the approval of plans for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Chippewa Cree Tribe, Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Superior Chippewa Indians, and Red Lake …

    • Just a Decade Later, DEA Reopens Comment Period for Electronic Prescriptions for Controlled SubstancesApril 24th, 2020

      A little more than ten years ago, on March 31, 2010, the Drug Enforcement Administration published its  Interim Final Rule (IFR) with request for comments, titled “Electronic Prescriptions for Controlled Substances” (Docket No. DEA-218, RIN 1117-AA61). The rule became effective June 1, 2010, and is …

    • Open for Business: DEA’s Proposed Rule Would Make the Agency an Active Buyer and Seller of MarijuanaMarch 26th, 2020

      In 2009, Levon Helm, formerly of The Band, wrote and recorded “Growin’ Trade,” a song about a weary, disillusioned American farmer reluctantly staves off bankruptcy by growing illegal cannabis.  Helm nor anyone else could have known that in the ensuing years, a majority of states …

    • USDA Announces Delay of Enforcement of Requirement for DEA Registration of Hemp Testing LaboratoriesMarch 5th, 2020

      On February 27, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the delay of enforcement of certain requirements under the interim final rule (IFR) for the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program. As we previously reported, on Nov. 7, 2019, USDA published its much-anticipated rule establishing the requirements …