What Are The Impacts Of Off-Label Drug Use?
January 25, 2012
An article released Monday by News Channel 5 says that as many as one in five prescriptions written in the United States today are to treat something for which it is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But are the risks associated with “off-label” drug use worth the benefits?
In order for a drug to receive FDA approval, it must first go through a rigorous process of testing and clinical trials. Then a report is made on which health conditions the drug can successfully treat. As long as doctors closely monitor patients, they are allowed to use their discretion to prescribe medications to patients to treat conditions the drug may not necessarily be approved for.
The practice can be beneficial in some cases. Take for example the drugs used in chemotherapy to treat cancer patients. While the drug may only be approved to treat one type of cancer, it can successfully kill off numerous types of cancerous tumors. Often times though, the practice puts patients at a great risk of serious side effects.
Antipsychotic drugs used to treat dementia patients also are a prime example. In numerous cases it was found that while successful at treating the condition, the drug put patients at an increased risk of death.
The Tennessee drug injury lawyers with Hughes and Coleman Injury Lawyers are here to help if an off-label drug prescribed to you by a doctor has hurt you.
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