I used hyaluronic acid fillers off-label'

Dr. Hands, a prominent dermasurgeon, has recently been using hyaluronic acid fillers to treat aging hands.

Off-label common, necessary

Use of drugs in this manner does not require additional approval by the FDA and "off-label" use is not only recognized by, but, as has been suggested by some, nearly encouraged by the FDA. The use of drugs and devices for conditions that are not otherwise indicated is widespread among physicians and is generally not considered experimental or investigational. Off-label use of drugs is even a necessity in some medical specialties, especially in the areas of pediatrics and terminal illnesses. Off-label use is particularly necessary in these areas because the majority of medications that undergo review and approval by the FDA are tested on adults only, and because terminally ill patients have often exhausted the repertoire of available treatments.

Courts and the FDA face numerous challenges in balancing the interest in regulating the distribution and marketing of drugs and devices with the interest in allowing physicians to determine the best course of treatment for their patients. The FDA is actually prohibited from interfering with physician authority concerning off-label use of drugs or devices, as enumerated in Sec. 214 of the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 (FDAMA).

A common misconception is that off-label use of drugs or devices is somehow experimental or investigative. It is important to note that the focus of medical therapy, or the practice of medicine, is the well-being of the patient, whereas the focus of investigative research is to test a particular hypothesis. The use of drugs, or devices, for indications not specifically approved by the FDA does not generally constitute investigative research. Because the FDA expects that physicians will exercise discretion in their prescribing patterns, the FDA states very specifically that doctors are expected to use their "best knowledge and judgment" when practicing their specialties.

Patients, through off-label physician use, are given access to a great number of drugs and devices that they would not otherwise have access to if the FDA were to expand on its current regulatory authority. Recent studies estimate that anywhere from 25 percent to 60 percent of prescribed drugs are for off-label uses.

To tell or not

It should also be noted that, despite the common view among many physicians, doctors do not have an obligation to disclose the FDA regulatory status for a drug or device to their patients.

Physicians, courts have noted, are in the best position to determine treatments for their patients. They are involved in the practice of medicine on a daily basis and have person-to-person contact with the recipients of medications and devices that are being administered for off-label uses. Physicians, it is argued, regularly consult colleagues, attend continuing education courses and research scholarly journals. They are, therefore, best able to determine the safety and effectiveness of off-label drug and device use. The FDA itself is clearly incapable of reviewing proposals for every potential use of a drug or device.

Dr. Hands may or may not lose the medical malpractice brought against him. However, he is not likely to lose the case because he used hyaluronic acid fillers for an off-label purpose.

Dr. Goldberg is the director of SkinLaser & Surgery Specialists of New York and New Jersey; director of Mohs surgery and laser research, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine; and adjunct professor of law, Fordham Law School.