DUR: Removal of DATA-Waiver (X-Waiver)

Requirement

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Removal of DATA-Waiver (X-Waiver)

Requirement

January 20, 2023

On January 12, 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confirmed in a letter to registrants that Section 1262 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 eliminated the DATA-Waiver Program. Effective immediately, waiver applications will no longer be accepted. All prescriptions for buprenorphine will now only require a standard DEA registration number. The previously used DATA-Waiver (also known as X-Waiver) registration numbers are no longer needed for any prescription. Any practitioner with a current DEA registration that includes Schedule III authority may now prescribe buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder

(OUD) in their practice. There are no longer any limits on the number of patients a prescriber may treat for OUD with buprenorphine.

The DEA also noted that new training requirements will go into effect on June 21, 2023, for all prescribers of controlled substances. New requirements include the completion of an eight-hour training on identifying and treating addiction when a practitioner applies for or renews their DEA registration to prescribe controlled substances. For additional information on the removal of the DATA-Waiver requirement, see the statement issued by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website.