The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) delivered providers of substance use disorder (SUD) care a year-end gift that officially extends telehealth prescribing flexibilities around controlled medications like methadone, naltrexone and buprenorphine through Dec. 2026. While the extension has been anticipated since early November after a pending executive order was sent to the Office of Management and Budget hinting at the agency’s intention to extend the prescribing provisions, the DEA officially announced the news on Dec. 31.