CVS will stop filling Cerebral and Done Health ADHD med prescriptions

Photo by Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

According to The Wall Street Journal, the pharmacy chain will no longer fill prescriptions for controlled substances from companies like Cerebral and Done Health. Cerebral is facing investigations from the US Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Cerebral said last week that it would stop giving controlled substances to new customers and would transition existing customers off of the service by the fall. The company told The Wall Street Journal that it was doing everything it could to make sure these patients have access to the medications they need.

Cerebral was criticized by nurses who said they were pressured to give out drugs based on only short visits with customers. Some individual stores stopped filing prescriptions from some Done clinicians and questioned them about the amount of drugs they were prescribed. Some Done clinicians had prescriptions blocked by Walmart. The preferred pharmacy of Cerebral said this month that it would no longer fill Adderall and other controlled substance prescriptions.

Federal rules usually require that patients meet with a doctor in person before they can be prescribed a controlled substance. When the United States went under a public health emergency in 2020, physicians were able to prescribe the drugs with only a video visit. Cerebral and Done took advantage of the gap to start offering prescriptions.

The public health emergency still allows doctors to prescribe controlled substances over the phone. Teladoc and MDLive told The Wall Street Journal that they don't prescribe drugs. There are fewer ways to get easier access to the medications that are blocked by the pharmacy.