DEA Telemedicine Rule: A Dated Log
On November 7, 2026, OIRA listed DEA's final rule on special telemedicine registrations as under review since August 25, 2026. We found no final rule in the Federal Register that day. The temporary rule that allows telemedicine prescribing of controlled medications without a prior in-person evaluation runs through December 31, 2026.
Facts only. This is not legal or medical advice. It records what the Federal Register and OIRA show on the dates given. Ask a lawyer about the law and your clinician about your care.
By Julian Caraulani · read
Dates to know
| Date | What | Source |
|---|---|---|
| August 25, 2026 | OIRA received the final rule | OIRA: EO 12866 review, RIN 1117-AB40 |
| About November 23, 2026 | About 90 calendar days after receipt, the review period in Executive Order 12866. Our arithmetic, not a date OIRA publishes | Executive Order 12866, section 6(b)(2) |
| About December 23, 2026 | About the latest date if the Director extends review once by the full 30 calendar days. An agency head can also ask for more time. Our arithmetic | Executive Order 12866, section 6(b)(2) |
| December 31, 2026 | The fourth temporary extension ends | Federal Register, 90 FR 61301 |
Executive Order 12866 gives OIRA 90 calendar days for this kind of action and says review "may be extended (1) once by no more than 30 calendar days upon the written approval of the Director and (2) at the request of the agency head." Review can also end sooner.
Why this touches online TRT
Testosterone is listed among the anabolic steroids in Schedule III (21 CFR 1308.13). The Ryan Haight Act generally requires at least one in-person medical evaluation before a controlled substance is prescribed remotely. The temporary rule lets DEA-registered practitioners prescribe Schedule II to V medications by telemedicine without that visit (Federal Register, 90 FR 61301).
The same rule describes the alternative it was written to avoid: "the reinstatement of the pre-pandemic restrictions imposed by the CSA". It also says that a practitioner who has already done one in-person evaluation of a patient is no longer bound by the Ryan Haight Act's remote prescribing requirements for that patient.
The log, newest first
- November 7, 2026
OIRA's list of submissions under review still shows the rule as pending, with one more meeting scheduled for November 12, 2026. A Federal Register search of DEA documents shows no final special registration rule.
OIRA: submissions under review, read November 7, 2026
- September 21 to November 2, 2026
OIRA lists 9 completed EO 12866 meetings on this RIN in that span: September 21, 23 (two), 24, 25 (two) and 29, October 16 and November 2. This covers the first results page we could read; the search reports 27 records across three pages for this RIN.
OIRA: EO 12866 meetings, RIN 1117-AB40, read November 7, 2026
- August 25, 2026
OIRA received "Special Registrations for Telemedicine and Limited State Telemedicine Registrations", RIN 1117-AB40, at the final rule stage, marked economically significant. The rule's text is not public on OIRA's page.
OIRA: EO 12866 review, RIN 1117-AB40, read November 7, 2026
- December 31, 2025
Fourth temporary extension published, effective January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026. It covers Schedule II to V controlled medications.
Federal Register, 90 FR 61301, read November 7, 2026
- January 17, 2025
DEA published its proposed rule on special registrations for telemedicine. The fourth extension says DEA received over 6,475 comments on it.
Federal Register, 90 FR 6541, read November 7, 2026
- November 19, 2024
Third temporary extension, through December 31, 2025.
Federal Register, 89 FR 91253, read November 7, 2026
- October 10, 2023
Second temporary extension, through December 31, 2024.
Federal Register, 88 FR 69879, read November 7, 2026
- May 10, 2023
First temporary extension, through November 11, 2023, with a grace period through November 11, 2024 for relationships set up by then.
Federal Register, 88 FR 30037, read November 7, 2026
- March 1, 2023
DEA and HHS published a proposed rule on telemedicine prescribing of controlled substances without a prior in-person evaluation.
Federal Register, 88 FR 12875, read November 7, 2026
- March 2020
During the COVID-19 public health emergency, DEA granted temporary exceptions to the in-person requirement in two letters. These became known as the telemedicine flexibilities.
Federal Register, 90 FR 61301, read November 7, 2026
What we do not know
- What the final rule says. OIRA does not publish its text during review.
- Whether a final rule, another extension, or neither comes before December 31, 2026. Neither agency had announced one in the documents we read.
- How any final rule would apply to a given program or a given patient. We compare prices and do not give legal advice.
Found an error or a newer document? Corrections. For prices, see what TRT costs and the guide to TRT online. TRT Watchdog is for information only and is not medical advice. Testosterone is a prescription controlled substance; talk to a licensed clinician about whether it is right for you.