off-label

American  

[awf-ley-buhl, of‑] / ˈɔfˈleɪ bəl, ˈɒf‑ /

adjective

Informal.

1. of, relating to, or denoting a drug prescribed for a particular indication even though the drug has not yet received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for that disease, condition, or symptom.

---

off label British  

adjective

1. (of a prescription drug) relating to use, or being used, in ways for which it has not been approved

---

Example Sentences

More than 90% of Medicare beneficiaries who received gabapentin within a month of a reported visit with the prescribing doctor got it for an off-label use, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of Medicare claims data from 2020 through 2022 that matched up prescriptions with diagnoses.

From The Wall Street Journal

He co-wrote a study finding that evidence is limited for off-label use of gabapentinoid drugs—including gabapentin and another drug in the same class, pregabalin—for most pain-related conditions.

From The Wall Street Journal

It is often prescribed off-label for other symptoms.

From The Wall Street Journal

However, prescribing drugs or devices for conditions they aren’t approved for, which is known as off-label prescribing, is a legal and common practice in medicine.

From Los Angeles Times

Leuchter is one of three researchers with TMS expertise who recently called for the establishment of ethical guidelines around off-label TMS marketing in the field’s primary journal.

From Los Angeles Times