DRUG: Scheduling & Classifications with Examples

Drugs: (List of Schedule I-V Controlled Drugs)

By Staff Reporters

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Any discussion on narcotics, prescription drugs, or other controlled substances is usually peppered with the word schedule. One substance may be Schedule I, while another is Schedule II, III, IV, or V.

Drugs, substances, and certain chemicals used to make drugs are classified into five (5) distinct categories or schedules depending upon the drug’s acceptable medical use and the drug’s abuse or dependency potential. The abuse rate is a determinate factor in the scheduling of the drug; for example, Schedule I drugs have a high potential for abuse and the potential to create severe psychological and/or physical dependence. As the drug schedule changes — Schedule II, Schedule III, etc., so does the abuse potential — Schedule V drugs represents the least potential for abuse.

A Listing of drugs and their schedule are located at Controlled Substance Act (CSA) Scheduling or CSA Scheduling by Alphabetical Order. These lists describes the basic or parent chemical and do not necessarily describe the salts, isomers and salts of isomers, esters, ethers and derivatives which may also be classified as controlled substances. These lists are intended as general references and are not comprehensive listings of all controlled substances.

Please note that a substance need not be listed as a controlled substance to be treated as a Schedule I substance for criminal prosecution. A controlled substance analogue is a substance which is intended for human consumption and is structurally or pharmacologically substantially similar to or is represented as being similar to a Schedule I or Schedule II substance and is not an approved medication in the United States.

Schedule I Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Some examples of Schedule I drugs are: heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), methaqualone, and peyote.

Schedule II Schedule II drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a high potential for abuse, with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence. These drugs are also considered dangerous. Some examples of Schedule II drugs are: combination products with less than 15 milligrams of hydrocodone per dosage unit (Vicodin), cocaine, methamphetamine, methadone, hydromorphone (Dilaudid), meperidine (Demerol), oxycodone (OxyContin), fentanyl, Dexedrine, Adderall, and Ritalin

Schedule III Schedule III drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence. Schedule III drugs abuse potential is less than Schedule I and Schedule II drugs but more than Schedule IV. Some examples of Schedule III drugs are: products containing less than 90 milligrams of codeine per dosage unit (Tylenol with codeine), ketamine, anabolic steroids, testosterone

Schedule IV Schedule IV drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a low potential for abuse and low risk of dependence. Some examples of Schedule IV drugs are: Xanax, Soma, Darvon, Darvocet, Valium, Ativan, Talwin, Ambien, Tramadol

Schedule V Schedule V drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with lower potential for abuse than Schedule IV and consist of preparations containing limited quantities of certain narcotics. Schedule V drugs are generally used for antidiarrheal, antitussive, and analgesic purposes. Some examples of Schedule V drugs are: cough preparations with less than 200 milligrams of codeine or per 100 milliliters (Robitussin AC), Lomotil, Motofen, Lyrica, Parepectolin

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PharmD: Doctor of Pharmacy

By Staff Reporters

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PharmD – Doctor of Pharmacy

A Doctor of Pharmacy [ParrmD] is the professional degree required to become a pharmacist in the US. Practicing pharmacists complete an average of six years in school—including their pre-pharmacy education—before passing required exams and completing post-graduate training.

Here’s where things often get confusing. The word “pharmacist” is sometimes used in casual conversation to refer to healthcare professionals who aren’t technically licensed to be pharmacists.

For example, pharmacy technicians assist licensed pharmacists. They work behind the counter among the medications right alongside the pharmacist. However, they don’t need a Doctor of Pharmacy to do their job. A pharmaceutical sales representative typically needs four years of a bachelor’s degree with a foundation in chemistry and biology, though this is not always a requirement. Neither of these professionals is technically a pharmacist, although laypeople may mistakenly describe them that way.

And pursuing a PharmD doesn’t always mean you’ll work in a community pharmacy. In fact, just slightly fewer than half of all PharmD recipients end up in this role. Another 15 percent practice in other healthcare settings—hospitals, nursing homes, and managed care centers, for example. Other pharmacy students pursue research roles, government regulation positions, or work in highly specialized areas like oncology or geriatric pharmacy.

A PharmD or RPH [registered pharmacist] fills the electronic or written prescriptions of a MD/DO/DPM/DDS/DMD. They generally can not prescribe drugs or write prescriptions, however.

As of February 01, 2025, the average annual pay of Doctor of Pharmacy in the United States was $196,904. While Salary.com suggests that a Doctor of Pharmacy salary in the US can go up to $236,908 or down to $149,197, most earn between $171,932 and $217,844.

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DAILY UPDATE: Pharmacy Schools and PBMs as Stocks Recover

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One year after forming an alliance with pharmacy schools, Walgreens says it has taken steps to get more people interested in the profession and improve working conditions at the chain.

Walgreens announced the Deans Advisory Council last February, framing it as a collaboration with pharmacy schools to boost the number of students enrolling and address some of the broader issues in the industry, like burnout and declining reimbursements from pharmacy benefit managers.

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US stocks recovered from losses on Wednesday to close higher on the day. Earnings from Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) and AMD (AMD) fell short, but Big Tech got a boost from a jump in Nvidia (NVDA) shares.

The tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC) rose 0.2%, while the benchmark S&P 500 (^GSPC) added 0.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) led the gains, rising 0.7%, or more than 300 points.

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Visualize: How private equity tangled banks in a web of debt, from the Financial Times.

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DAILY UPDATE: Mike Burry MD, Private Equity in Health Systems, Drug Shortages, United Health Stock Sale and the Change Healthcare Hack as the Stock Markets Re-Collapse!

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  • Medical colleague and our financial planning for physicians textbook contributor Michael Burry MD predicted a second inflation surge, and price growth re-accelerated in March,. 2024.
  • The “Big Short” investor first warned of inflation in April 2020, over two years before it peaked.
  • Burry expected a recession, rate cuts, and stimulus spending to reignite inflation.

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A growing number of drugs are in short supply around the U.S., according to pharmacists. 

In the first three months of the year, there were 323 active medication shortages, surpassing the previous high of 320 shortages in 2014, according to a survey by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and Utah Drug Information Service. It also amounts to the most shortages since the trade group started keeping track in 2001. “All drug classes are vulnerable to shortages. Some of the most worrying shortages involve generic sterile injectable medications, including cancer chemotherapy drugs and emergency medications stored in hospital crash carts and procedural areas,” ASHP said in a statement

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Scheduling an appointment with a primary care doctor who belongs to a large health system might cause an increase in health care spending, according to a recent study. Such physicians tend to make more referrals to specialists, and emergency room visits and hospitalizations sometimes increase, according to the research out of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

In short, physicians who work for health care systems like hospitals are more likely to recommend that patients use other services within those systems, compared with independent physicians. For the study — which was published in JAMA Health Forum, a journal of the American Medical Association — researchers analyzed the experiences of more than 4 million patients in Massachusetts.

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UnitedHealth Chairman Stephen Hemsley and other executives sold $102 million in company stock months before a federal antitrust probe became public, Bloomberg reported.

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Small physician practices are still struggling in the wake of February’s Change Healthcare cyberattack, according to an American Medical Association (AMA) survey released Wednesday.

More than half of ~1,400 respondents (55%) reported that they’ve had to use personal funds to cover their practice’s expenses due to the cyberattack’s effects on cash flow. Practices across the country have been unable to fill prescriptions or process insurance claims as Change Healthcare systems went offline, Healthcare Brew previously reported. About two-thirds of respondents said they’ve experienced restrictions to core functions, such as suspending claim payments (36%), not being able to submit claims (32%), and not being able to obtain electronic remittance advice (39%), according to the survey.

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Here’s where the major benchmarks ended:

  • The S&P 500 index fell 75.65 points (1.5%) to 5,123.41, down 1.6% for the week; the Dow Jones Industrial Averagelost 475.84 points (1.2%) to 37,983.24, down 2.4% for the week; the NASDAQ Composite® ($COMP) dropped 267.10 points (1.6%) to 16,175.09, down 0.5% for the week.
  • The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) fell more than 5 basis points to 4.52%, still up about 12 basis points for the week.
  • The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX) rose 2.38 to 17.30.

Semiconductor shares were also among the weakest performers Friday as chip makers reversed Thursday’s sharp gains. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) dropped more than 3% and ended with its third straight weekly decline. Energy companies were also under pressure after crude oil prices retreated from the morning rally. Oil futures are still up 20% this year. The small-cap Russell 2000® Index (RUT) lost 1.9% and posted a 2.9% drop for the week.

In other markets, the U.S. dollar index (DXY) strengthened to a five-month high and gained 1.7% this week, reflecting beliefs the hotter-than-expected inflation readings earlier this week will keep interest rates elevated. Volatility based on the VIX jumped to its highest level since late October.

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PODCAST: How PBMs Work -OR- Don’t Work?

PRIOR AUTHORIZATION

By Eric Bricker MD

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WALGREENS: Pharmacists Walk-Off Job

By Staff Reporters

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Pharmacy employees at Walgreens across the country walked off the job yesterday, citing harsh working conditions created by undersized staff that leave them unable to safely fill prescriptions while meeting the demands of a busy vaccine season. The three-day walkout was organized entirely via social media, as the group lacks a centralized labor union like the WGA and UAW.

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PHARMACISTS: Stage CVS Health Walk-Out?

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Nearly two dozen pharmacists at the nation’s largest retail pharmacy chain staged a walkout in the Kansas City metro area this week over working conditions they say put CVS Health pharmacists and patients at risk. 

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The walkout began Thursday and continued into Friday. Organizers said they had shuttered numerous pharmacies across the metro area, which covers a portion of eastern Kansas and western Missouri. Some pharmacies outside the metro area also have joined. They estimated at least 22 locations had closed.

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While the group’s specific complaints focus on store staffing and quotas, the walkout reflects a rising outcry from pharmacists at several national pharmacy chains. They say their work requirements leave them unable to safely fill and verify prescriptions, putting patients at risk of serious harm or even death.

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PHARMACISTS PODCAST: Job Effectiveness?

By Staff Reporters

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54% of Pharmacists Lack Time to Complete Their Job Effectively

According to the “2022 Medication Access Report“:

 •  54% of pharmacists said they lack time to complete their job effectively.
 •  Of the 54%, 81% cited inadequate staffing and 73% cited time-consuming administrative tasks.
 •  Physicians felt strained by unprecedented demands, with 42% reporting burnout and 69% feeling depressed.

Source: CoverMyMeds via PR Newswire, February 8, 2022

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