# DEA telemedicine flexibilities run through 2026

> DEA and HHS extended telemedicine prescribing of controlled medications through December 31, 2026. None of the peptides on this site is DEA controlled.

- Canonical URL: https://livingpluspeptides.com/news/dea-telemedicine-extension-2026/
- Last updated: October 26, 2026
- Publisher: Living+

Published October 26, 2026.

DEA and the Department of Health and Human Services issued a fourth extension of the COVID-19 telemedicine flexibilities for prescribing controlled medications [1]. The rule was published on December 31, 2025, and is in effect from January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026 [1].

## What the flexibilities cover

Under the Ryan Haight Act of 2008, a practitioner generally may prescribe a controlled substance remotely only after at least one in-person medical evaluation of the patient [1]. The flexibilities, first set out in 2020, relax that requirement for telemedicine visits [1]. DEA has used these extensions to prevent lapses in patient care while it writes permanent rules [1]. One of those, a proposed Special Registration for Telemedicine, was published on January 17, 2025 [1].

## What it means for peptides

These rules apply only to controlled substances [1]. None of the peptides on this site appears on DEA's list of controlled substances [2]. Approved peptide drugs such as semaglutide and tirzepatide are prescription drugs, but they are not scheduled, so the Ryan Haight in-person rule does not apply to them [1, 2]. The DEA column of the [Status Tracker](/regulation/tracker/) shows this for each peptide, and [how peptides are prescribed in the US](/guides/how-peptides-are-prescribed/) covers telehealth prescribing more broadly [2].

## Sources

1. [Federal Register: Fourth Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications (90 FR 61301, December 31, 2025)](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/31/2025-24123/fourth-temporary-extension-of-covid-19-telemedicine-flexibilities-for-prescription-of-controlled)
2. [DEA Diversion Control Division: Controlled Substances, Alphabetical Order](https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/orangebook/c_cs_alpha.pdf)

Educational information, not medical advice. This site sells nothing.