G-BA extends prescribing authority for stimulants to adolescents up to 21 years of age

The Federal Ministry of Health has published in the Federal Gazette (Bundesanzeiger) the announcement of a resolution by the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) regarding an amendment to the Pharmaceuticals Directive. The amendment concerns Annex III (Prescription Restrictions and Exclusions), Number 44 (Stimulants), and comes into force on the day following publication. The official publication is issued under the reference BAnz AT 02.10.2026 B1 dated October 2, 2026.

The resolution was adopted at the meeting of the G-BA on July 16, 2026, and signed by the Chairperson Dr. Optendrenk in Berlin. The Pharmaceuticals Directive (AM-RL) in the version dated December 18, 2008/January 22, 2009 (BAnz No. 49a of March 31, 2009), which was last amended by the announcement of the resolution of August 20, 2026 (BAnz AT 18.09.2026 B3), is being amended. The legal basis is Section 91 of the Fifth Book of the Social Code (SGB V).

Prescription for Adolescents up to the Age of 21

The core of the amendment is an expansion of the prescribing authority. In Number 44 of Annex III, the following sentence is inserted in the fourth bullet point:

• For adolescents from the beginning of the 19th year of age until the completion of the 21st year of age, prescriptions and therapy monitoring may also be carried out by specialists for child and adolescent medicine as well as child and adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy.

Accordingly, stimulants in this age group can also be prescribed and monitored by the specialist groups active in child and adolescent medicine or child and adolescent psychiatry. The new regulation follows the treatment of minors and extends the period during which this care remains responsible.

Specification of Permitted Specialist Groups

Secondly, the permitted prescribing circles are defined more precisely. In the third bullet point, the previous wording “medical psychotherapists with an additional qualification for the treatment of children and adolescents according to Section 5 Paragraph 4 of the Psychotherapy Agreements” is replaced by:

• “medical psychotherapists with an additional qualification for the treatment of children and adolescents according to Section 3 Paragraph 4 in conjunction with Section 9 of the Psychotherapy Agreement”.

At the same time, the regulation for therapeutically justified cases is reformulated. The previous possibility to have prescriptions issued by “specialists for behavioral disorders in children and adolescents” in the case of continued treatment is omitted. In the future, the following applies:

• In therapeutically justified cases, prescriptions may only be issued by specialists for child and adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy in the event of continued treatment beyond the completion of the 21st year of age.

Entry into Force and Supporting Reasons

According to Section II of the announcement, the amendment to the directive enters into force on the day following its publication in the Bundesanzeiger (Federal Gazette), namely on October 3, 2026. The supporting reasons for the decision will be published on the websites of the Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss (Federal Joint Committee) at www.g-ba.de. The PDF file of the official publication is provided with a qualified electronic seal.

For care provision, the amendment represents a noticeable expansion: adolescents up to the completed 21st year of age may in future also be prescribed stimulants and receive therapy monitoring within pediatric and adolescent medical or pediatric and adolescent psychiatric care. Medical psychotherapists and the aforementioned specialist groups should adapt their prescribing practices to the requirements applicable from October 3, 2026.

Source: Bundesanzeiger, BAnz AT 02.10.2026 B1 dated October 2, 2026, p. 1 (official reference: BAnz AT 02.10.2026 B1).