Exemption of Agents and Employees; Affiliated Practitioners

DEA amends its regulations to allow for the exemption of agents and employees of a registered individual practitioner, hospital, or institution from the requirement for individual registration when administering, dispensing, or prescribing controlled substances in the course of their official duties or business. The amendments make the exemption granted to agents and employees of a registrant more consistent with the recent regulatory changes involving Mid-Level Practitioners (MLP) and the fee exemption for practitioners employed by Federal, state and local government hospitals or other institutions. DEA is also amending, without prior notice, its regulations concerning the manner of issuance of prescriptions to make the language of that section consistent with the amended language set forth herein.