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Propofol To Become Schedule IV Controlled Drug
Propofol, the most common agent used in the induction of general anesthesia, and the drug implicated in the death of Michael Jackson, will be added to the DEA’s list of controlled substances with a Schedule IV designation early next year.
On October 27, 2010, the DEA published the proposed rule “Schedules of Controlled Substances: Placement of Propofol Into Schedule IV” into the Federal Register, the first step in making the proposal law. Public comments are now being accepted until December 27, 2010, after which a final decision will be made.
Propofol WILL become a scheduled drug. In October of 2009, fospropofol, a new pro-drug of propofol which is converted into propofol in the liver, was added to the list of controlled substances as a Schedule IV drug. The rationale given was that since it was converted to propofol in the blood stream, and since propofol was a potential drug of abuse and addiction, fospropofol was also a potential drug of abuse and addiction. The problem is propofol, which has been on the market since the late 1980′s, is not a controlled substance.
Faced with numerous reports of abuse of propofol and addiction to the drug, as well as a high rate of accidental fatal overdose when abused, and the uncomfortable position of having its pro-drug scheduled while the parent drug is not, the only real question about this action is why it has not occurred sooner.
Solicitation of comments in this case are a mere formality. The proposed rule will be approved. When comments on the scheduling of fospropofol were solicited the only negative comment was from an individual who suggested it should be scheduled as a II instead of IV, requiring even greater control measures.
Other schedule IV drugs include benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax, Versed) and barbiturates (Sodium Pentathol).
Both the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and the American Society of Anesthesiologists have sought the Scheduling of Propofol for over a year.
Schedules of Controlled Substances: Placement of Propofol Into Schedule IV
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