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Off Label Drugs Essay

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Off-label Drugs Use in Pediatrics Off-label is the use of drugs that are not officially approved by the FDA; however, for children, this is common because for years there are no studies on medical products that are approved for children with therapeutic needs (Haslund-Krog et al. 2014). When children are sick, parents and caregivers are frustrated and want drugs for the diagnose, this leaves the healthcare professional to find proper medications that will treat the problem. According to Magalhães et al. (2015), drugs go through a clinical trial that is approved for safety before being marketed; this is usually under a selected population. Unfortunately, the pediatric population has been left out without a proper clinical trial. This lack of appropriate study for the right drugs on kids has made it difficult for doctors and practitioners. Circumstances to prescribe off-label drugs …show more content…

There are some advantages in the use of off-label prescribing especially, in a situation where no FDA approved the drug is available for use due to limited research like with psychiatry, oncology, HIV/AID areas (Mayhew, 2009). Healthcare professionals have to find a solution to the child’ diagnose by using their professional judgment to prescribe the right medications for the right diagnose. One of the circumstances that children should be prescribed off-line drugs is with drugs that have little evidence of harm like, albuterol (Bazzano et al., 2009) With the lack of FDA approval on some medications; it is difficult for the healthcare professional to treat patients diagnosed without the use of the off-label drug. Another reason that off-label drugs can be used is in a situation with a new drug were the result of the treatment will help to discover other benefits of the drugs; this is often term as “orphan” condition because it is lacking research on the drug (Mayhew,

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