Under DEA guidance, prescriptions written before death are...

• A. Valid and may be filled or refilled as deemed medically necessary by the dispensing pharmacist.
• B. Valid only if a state regulator approves.
• C. Voided after death.
• D. Require a new prescription.

Answer: (A)

When a prescriber dies, a prescription that was written before death remains valid because it was issued as a legal order at the time it was written. The dispensing pharmacist may fill that prescription or continue its supply as medically appropriate, within the limits of what the prescription authorized and within applicable DEA/state rules. The death of the prescriber does not automatically void a valid pre‑death prescription, so there’s no separate state regulator approval required purely due to the death, and it isn’t automatically necessary to issue a new prescription. The key idea is to ensure continuity of patient care by honoring what was legitimately prescribed, until the prescribed supply is exhausted or the prescription expires, after which a new order would be needed.