The Aviation Medication Transparency Act of 2025 requires the FAA to publish a list of medications that may be safely prescribed for medical certification of airmen and air traffic control specialists, and to keep it on a publicly accessible FAA website. The list reflects medications the Administrator has determined may be safely prescribed to treat certain medical conditions and approved for certification.
The bill also mandates broad consultation with stakeholders to ensure the list is comprehensive, user-friendly, and up-to-date, covers prescription and over-the-counter medications, and includes details such as stabilization timelines and a Do Not Issue designation, plus a mechanism for medical providers to contact the FAA.
At a Glance
What It Does
Within one year, the Administrator must publish and maintain a publicly accessible list of medications approved for medical certification, including both prescription and OTC meds, with Do Not Issue medications and guidance for clinicians.
Who It Affects
Airmen seeking certification, air traffic control specialists, and trainees; medical providers and aviation employers who rely on certification data.
Why It Matters
Transparency reduces uncertainty, promotes consistency in certification decisions, and helps stakeholders plan and comply with safety standards.
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What This Bill Actually Does
Overview and purpose: The Aviation Medication Transparency Act of 2025 directs the Federal Aviation Administration to publish a comprehensive list of medications that may be safely prescribed for individuals seeking medical certification as airmen or as air traffic control (ATC) professionals. The list must be publicly accessible on the FAA’s website and maintained, with updates every year.
It is intended to inform aviation stakeholders—airmen, ATC personnel, trainees, and their medical providers—about medications that FAA has determined are compatible with certification.
Scope and content: The list must cover all medications, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, that the FAA has approved for purposes related to medical certification. It must be user-friendly and provide information about how medications affect certification, including any required minimum or average time an individual may have limited or no duties to stabilize on an approved medication.
The list must also include a “Do Not Issue” category and contact information for doctors or medical providers to obtain FAA guidance. The Administrator may add other relevant information to explain why a medication is allowed or prohibited.
Process and governance: The Administrator is required to draft the list in consultation with the Aeromedical Innovation and Modernization Working Group, accredited higher education institutions, the exclusive bargaining representatives of ATC personnel, organizations representing airline pilots, and other stakeholders the Working Group deems relevant. The act also requires an annual update to ensure the list remains current.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The list must be published within one year of enactment and kept on the FAA website.
The list covers all medications, including prescription and OTC drugs.
The list must be drafted with multi-stakeholder input from the Aeromedical Working Group and others.
It must indicate minimum and average stabilization times for medications.
It must include a Do Not Issue list and a direct channel for medical providers to contact the FAA, plus other clarifications.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Short title
This section designates the act as the Aviation Medication Transparency Act of 2025.
Purpose
States the purpose of the act: to ensure aviation stakeholders seeking medical certification are informed about which medications may be safely prescribed and considered for certification.
Publication and maintenance
Within one year of enactment, the Administrator shall publish and maintain on the FAA website a list of medications the FAA has determined may be safely prescribed to treat certain conditions and approved for medical certification.
Requirements for the list
The list must be drafted in consultation with the Aeromedical Innovation and Modernization Working Group, accredited higher education institutions, exclusive bargaining representatives of air traffic controllers, and organizations representing airline pilots; it must cover all medications including prescriptions and OTCs; it must be user-friendly and accompanied by details on how medications affect certification; it must indicate minimum and average time for stabilization; it must include a Do Not Issue list; it must provide contact information for doctors and include other clarifications the FAA deems appropriate.
Annual updates
Not later than one year after publication, and annually thereafter, the Administrator shall update the list.
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Who Benefits
- Airmen seeking medical certification gain clearer guidance on which medications FAA considers compatible with certification.
- Air traffic control specialists seeking certification gain consistency in understanding permissible medications.
- Trainees aiming to become airmen or ATC specialists receive early visibility into medication constraints.
- Medical providers and aviation clinicians obtain a direct channel to FAA guidance and clearer decision support.
- Aviation employers, training programs, and universities gain a transparent framework to inform staffing and curriculum decisions.
Who Bears the Cost
- Airmen and applicants may incur time and effort to review and adjust to the new list during certification processes.
- Medical providers may need to consult FAA resources and adapt to new workflows for guidance and documentation.
- FAA will incur costs to build, publish, and annually update the public medication list and supporting materials.
- Airlines, maintenance organizations, and training programs may incur administrative costs to align internal policies with the new FAA guidance.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
Balancing the need for transparent, actionable medication guidance with the necessity of clinical judgment and up-to-date safety data, while managing the administrative burden and ensuring timely updates to reflect medical advances.
The bill’s push for transparency creates a tension between providing public, patient-friendly information and preserving clinical flexibility. As the list becomes a primary reference for certification decisions, there is a risk that it could lag behind new medications or evolving medical evidence, potentially constraining appropriate medical treatment for applicants.
The bill relies on a broad, multi-stakeholder process to mitigate this risk, but questions remain about how quickly updates will occur in light of new data and how disputes over a medication’s status will be resolved. Additional tensions include ensuring the Do Not Issue list remains accurate and the means by which clinicians obtain timely FAA guidance when faced with edge cases or novel therapies.
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