A prescription drug wholesaler is required to:

• A. Be registered with the FDA even if it only carries Schedule V controlled substances.
• B. Be registered with the DEA even if it only carries Schedule V controlled substances.
• C. Be registered with the state pharmacy board only.
• D. They are not required to register.

Answer: (B)

Handling controlled substances requires DEA registration because the Drug Enforcement Administration oversees the manufacture, distribution, and dispensing of these drugs. Schedule V, while the least tightly controlled, is still a controlled substance, so a prescription drug wholesaler must be registered with the DEA to legally distribute it. State pharmacy boards regulate licensure and practice within a state, but they don’t substitute for federal registration to handle controlled substances. FDA registration concerns establishments involved in drug manufacturing and certain other activities, not the core requirement for distributing controlled substances. Thus, the essential requirement is DEA registration, even if only Schedule V drugs are involved.