DEA Cited As Reason For Delay In Implementing E-Prescribing System

Main Category: Public Health
Also Included In: IT / Internet / E-mail;  Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals
Article Date: 06 Dec 2007 - 9:00 PDT

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Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) on Tuesday at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss the adoption of a national electronic prescribing system said the Drug Enforcement Administration bears some responsibility for causing delays, CQ HealthBeat reports. Whitehouse led the hearing in place of committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). DEA is responsible for implementing and enforcing the Controlled Substances Act, which requires a secure distribution system for controlled substances.

The agency is concerned that a national e-prescribing system could be vulnerable to hacking attempts by drug dealers or non-registered Web-based pharmacies, further contributing to prescription drug abuse, according to Joseph Rannazzisi, deputy assistant administrator for DEA and a registered pharmacist. He noted that about seven million people in the U.S. are abusing prescribed medications, with opioid painkillers accounting for more drug overdoses than cocaine and heroin combined. Rannazzisi said, "We have to protect the public health and safety from diversions (of controlled substances). That is why we're moving so cautiously." He added, "An electronic superhighway for prescriptions could create an expressway for diversions."

Whitehouse said that the existing "pen and paper regime" for prescriptions is similarly susceptible to abuse. According to Whitehouse, an e-prescribing system could create $20 billion in annual savings by preventing adverse events, improving administrative efficiency and boosting patient adherence (Walker, CQ HealthBeat, 12/4).

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