Executives at telehealth startup Cerebral told their clinicians that the company will stop prescribing Adderall and other controlled substances to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the company announced Wednesday.
Driving the news: The decision comes after Cerebral's preferred pharmacy, Truepill, said it would halt prescriptions for Adderall and other controlled substances, the Wall Street Journal reported last week.
- Other large pharmacies, including CVS and Walmart, had previously blocked or delayed prescriptions from clinicians working for telehealth startups over concerns that they were writing "too many prescriptions for Adderall and other stimulants" to new patients, per the Wall Street Journal.
Details: The pause will begin on Monday May 9.
- Cerebral Chief Medical Officer David Mou said in an email to clinicians that the company would continue to prescribe controlled substances for other conditions, according to the Wall street Journal. It also said it will continue to treat existing ADHD patients with stimulants.
What they're saying: “Based on recent feedback from stakeholders, it is clear that this has become a distraction from our focus to democratize access to mental health care services, provide treatment for more patients and add service lines for new conditions,” Cerebral’s CEO and founder Kyle Robertson said in a statement.
- “It is regrettable that a helpful class of medication that is considered a first-line treatment option has become so stigmatized,” Mou added in the same statement.
