The concern of misbranded products leading to patient harm and potential fraud is inarguable. The FDA has held a long-standing position on off-label communication; however, in light of recent federal lawsuits that have increased the uncertainty of its enforceability, as well as the growing need for data-driven medicine, the agency has been under pressure more than ever to update their regulatory position. This article will outline industry’s response and the long-awaited guidance from the FDA around off-label communication.
As the Update reported in the August 2017 issue, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (“FDA’s”) 23rd Commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb recognizes and indeed publicly acknowledges FDA’s long-standing practice of medicine exception noting that “while the FDA may limit what drug companies may say about their products to the uses that appear on the drug’s official label, physicians may prescribe their drugs for any condition they choose.” He further stated during his confirmation hearings “that doctors are appropriately trained to make medical decisions based on the best interest of their patients.” Consequently, prescribing medicines off label is a common practice, but with life science companies prohibited from sharing information about off-label uses, do physicians get the best available information to make sound clinical decisions?