Utah will obey a court order to let the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration search a prescription-drug database without a warrant, despite a state law designed to protect patient privacy.
The state disagrees with the ruling that found people can’t expect privacy in the highly regulated prescription-drug industry, but state attorneys have decided not to appeal after reviewing similar cases, said Utah Attorney General’s Office spokesman Dan Burton in a statement Monday.
All states maintain similar databases to help doctors and pharmacists prevent overprescribing amid a national opioid-drug epidemic. The databases hold records of medications like the anti-anxiety drug Xanax and sleep aid Ambien as well as opioid painkillers.