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On October 6, 2014, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) final rule moving hydrocodone combination products from Schedule III to the more restrictive Schedule II will take effect. The American Medical Association (AMA) has developed a fact sheet describing the new requirements for hydrocodone combination products and how prescribers can prepare.
The DEA rule states that prescriptions for hydrocodone combination products that are issued before October 6, 2014 that have authorized refills may be dispensed in accordance with DEA rules for Schedule III-V controlled substances until April 8, 2015. However, once hydrocodone combination products are in Schedule II on October 6, state laws and other factors may not allow remaining refills to be dispensed. According to the AMA fact sheet, physicians should “be prepared to provide new hard copy or electronic prescriptions for patients beginning on October 6, 2014 rather than have patients use what would have been existing refills.”
