On January 12, 2023, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced the removal of the federal requirement for practitioners to submit a notice of intent (a waiver) to prescribe buprenorphine to treat patients with opioid use disorder (OUD).
As part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (the Omnibus Bill), Congress eliminated the “DATA 2000 Waiver” requirement. Effective June 21, 2023, waiver registration numbers will no longer be needed, and all prescriptions for buprenorphine will only require a standard DEA registration number. Additionally, there no longer will be any limits on the number of patients a prescriber may treat for OUD with buprenorphine. The DEA expressed its support for changes, noting that they “will increase access to buprenorphine for those in need.”
Read the DEA announcement letter here.