Rockville, MD (Oct. 2, 2024) – In response to today’s bipartisan Congressional letter led by Rep. Annie Kuster, along with Rep. Carol Miller, imploring the Biden-Harris administration to finalize a rule preserving existing telemedicine initiation flexibilities for buprenorphine, a lifesaving medication to treat opioid use disorder, Stephen M. Taylor, MD, president-elect of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), issued the following statement:

“ASAM applauds this bipartisan coalition of US House lawmakers' letter confronting the overdose and addiction crisis head-on and urging the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to preserve clinicians’ ability to initiate buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder via a telemedicine encounter, without the imposition of in-person visitation requirements or a burdensome special registration process.

Initial telemedicine prescribing of buprenorphine is a lifeline for thousands of patients with opioid use disorder. ASAM urges the DEA to seize this opportunity to save lives and to work swiftly with the US Department of Health and Human Services to finalize and issue the non-special registration telemedicine rule specific to buprenorphine, which is already in the final rule stage according to the Spring 2024 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions.”

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About the American Society of Addiction Medicine 

The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), founded in 1954, is a professional medical society representing over 7,000 physicians, clinicians and associated professionals in the field of addiction medicine. ASAM is dedicated to increasing access and improving the quality of addiction treatment, educating physicians and the public, supporting research and prevention and promoting the appropriate role of physicians in the care of patients with addiction. For more information, visit www.ASAM.org.