The use of approved drugs for unapproved use also called Off-label drug use is common in pediatrics. This condition, however, is acceptable by professional organization and research to be utilized in some certain situations and that it is not improper or illegal. This paper is going to focus on the circumstances in which off-label drugs should be prescribed to children, and the ways that can be adopted to make the drugs harmless to infants and adolescents.
Off-label pediatric drug use is a dilemmatic aspect and forces the pediatricians to choose rather than avoiding. The main reason pediatricians use them deliberately is the need to treat their patients when they have no approved drug for the disease, and their opinions that the off- label use is medically appropriate for children since they have no registered ones (Gerald, (2013). They violate the registered use of drugs by changing the dosage and indications of medicine and administering them to children. According to Rosenberg and Gershon, (2012), when infants and adolescents suffer from chronic diseases such cancer and mental problems, it is wrong to prescribe the chemotherapy that should not be given to them or for that type of cancer. Likewise, giving a child suffering from HIV/AIDS antiviral drugs that are approved to be used by adults and seniority is wrong. However, in fighting against the use of approved drugs in an unapproved manner, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) encourages pediatricians to support and promote research of medicines for infants, children, and the adolescents. The research supports the need for epidemiological studies on the reasons for drug use and the evaluation of their pharmacological effects on children. There should also be experts to assess and approve specific off-label uses, to meet the needs of treatment. Furthermore, AAP inspires pediatricians to avoid automatic considerations of cheap adult drugs as first-line treatment to children.
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In conclusion, addressing the need to stop the off-label drug use by children is an interchange that will help the physicians to manage the ethical and legal dilemmas associated with the kids using the drugs.
References
AAP updates policy on off-label drug use in children. (2014). Reactions Weekly , 1492(1), 3-3. doi:10.1007/s40278-014-9312-3
Gerald, M. C. (2013). The drug book: From arsenic to Xanax, 250 milestones in the history of drugs. New York: Sterling.
Rosenberg, D. R., & Gershon, S. (2012). Pharmacotherapy of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
