Anesthesia Billing & Management

Propofol, administered intravenously in operating rooms as an anesthetic and sedative, made its way into the spotlight in the last year or so thanks to the controversy over Michael Jackson’s overdose death. Now authorities are taking notice. The Drug Enforcement Administration was petitioned in 2009, according to DEA spokesman Rusty Payne, to designate propofol as a "scheduled" drug. This would create tighter restrictions on its distribution and use. However, Payne says that the petition was not related to propofol’s involvment in Michael Jackson’s death.

The Drug Enforcement Administration was petitioned in 2009, according to DEA spokesman Rusty Payne, to designate propofol as a "scheduled" drug. This would create tighter restrictions on its distribution and use. However, Payne says that the petition was not related to propofol’s involvment in Michael Jackson’s death.

However, the concern is rooted in worries of potential abuse of the powerful pain killer. Propofol is administered intravenously in operating rooms as an anesthetic and sedative.

Last fall, the DEA started circulating a proposed rule that would classify propofol as a Schedule IV substance. This puts it in the same category as midazolam, diazepam, lorazepam and zolpidem.

While DEA agent Rusty Payne says that he had no knowledge of propofol being abused on a large scale, having it classified as a Schedule IV substance puts it alongside drugs that are. The DEA also declined to provide a copy of the proposed rule for propofol, but looking at the statement for the sedative fospropofol, which was given Schedule IV status in 2009, propofol is mentioned:

“The current abuse profiles of propofol, the active metabolite of fospropofol, indicate that propofol is abused… The oral activity of fospropofol increases the likelihood of its abuse by other routes of administration and its use to commit other crimes (e.g., date rape).”