The OVMA office receives numerous questions about controlled substances, ranging from which drugs are controlled substances, how to secure them, how to write prescriptions for them, and what to do if these drugs go missing. Following are resources intended to assist the practice in managing their controlled substance inventory.
While hemp is no longer a controlled substance, CBD products derived from it that have not been evaluated and approved by the FDA for use in animals are considered unapproved animal drugs. Currently, there are no hemp-derived CBD products approved for use in animals.
Phenylproponolamine (PPA) is a Schedule III drug and must be entered in your drug log, as all controlled substances must be. It must be patient specific for use and issued as a prescription.
Does your practice have proper systems in place for the use and security of controlled substances?
Link to the DEA's list of controlled substances.
Any veterinarian who orders, dispenses, prescribes or administers controlled substances should be registered with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
While not having your own DEA license may save an associate or the practice the cost of the license fee, there are several reasons why this is not advisable.
The DEA requires each registrant to keep the number of employees who can access the controlled drug safe to a minimum necessary for operations and to screen employees to determine eligibility for access.
The new Minimum Standards for Veterinary Drugs, adopted by the Oregon Veterinary Medical Examining Board in 2020, require facilities to have written policies and procedures on the procurement and management of drugs. In addition, they must be readily retrievable if requested by the OVMEB during an inspection of the facility.
From time to time the OVMA receives phone calls or e-mails from veterinarians and team members with various concerns about controlled substances.
The OVMA receives queries from veterinarians and practice managers as to the requirements for issuing and verifying prescriptions by various means. Here is a summary of pertient information from DEA and the Oregon Board of Pharmacy.
