When closing a pharmacy, what is the correct treatment for leftover DEA 222 forms?

• A. Return to DEA
• B. Keep for records
• C. Destroy
• D. Transfer to another pharmacy

Answer: (A)

When a pharmacy closes, you must ensure control over any blank or unused DEA Form 222 forms so they can’t be misused. Unused Form 222s should be returned to the DEA so they can be voided and properly accounted for in the closure. This keeps the DEA informed that those forms are no longer in service and prevents any future attempts to use them for ordering controlled substances. Keeping them for records doesn’t provide the official cancellation the DEA requires, destroying them removes the formal trail, and transferring them to another pharmacy isn’t appropriate because the forms are tied to the registrant’s DEA registration and the closing entity, not a different practice.