BEWARE: off-label prescription drug use

A new study led by researchers in Canada sheds light on the effects of off-label use of prescription drugs with the first-ever investigation in adult populations. A new study led by researchers in Canada sheds light on the effects of off-label use of prescription drugs with the first-ever investigation in adult populations. Their findings, which are published online by JAMA Internal Medicine , show that off-label use of prescription drugs was associated with a significant number of adverse drug events (ADEs). Off-label prescribing is the practice of prescribing medications for indications that have not received regulatory approval by Health Canada. Knowing what is off-label has been identified as a potentially important contributor to preventing ADEs in children. "Off-label drug use, and particularly off-label use without strong scientific evidence or back-up, is a risk factor for ADEs," says study's senior author, Dr. Robyn Tamblyn, who is a clinical scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and a professor in the Department of Medicine and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McGill University. "Physicians and their organizations should recognize the enormity of the problem and be active participants in the promotion of cautious prescribing of drugs for off-label uses lacking strong scientific evidence." - Risk for ADEs grows with number of drugs used.