off-label

American

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

adjective

Informal.

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

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He’s such a fan that he has taken it himself “for its geroprotective effects” and prescribed it off-label to his patients; he also discloses that he has funded animal research into its antiaging properties.

From Slate

The World Health Organization supports an off-label recommendation for a one-dose schedule based on recent efficacy data from single-dose trials.

From Salon

And there were no supposedly telltale signs of abortion services present at her clinics either, such as tools used for surgical abortion or even mifepristone, a drug with multiple off-label uses that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration only for the termination of pregnancy.

From Slate

And even if it is prescribed, it has to be given a "off-label" as there is currently no licensed treatments for women available on the NHS.

From BBC

Some asthma drugs are currently being used off-label to treat neurological diseases.

From Science Daily

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023