Challenge: Off-Label Usage
Working with pharmaceutical companies, we hear the phrase “off-label use” used more and more. What exactly does this refer to?
Off-label use refers to the prescribing of drugs for treatment outside of the regulatory-approved label or indication. While this practice certainly has its pros and cons, it’s interesting to note how off-label use works in our own personal lives, outside of the pharmaceutical space. With the economic crisis, the push to go green, and a “simpler lifestyle” mentality emerging, off-label consumer product usage makes sense on several levels.
Banning Pharmaceutical Logos in Hospitals
A health system located in Minnesota and Wisconsin recently prohibited all branded materials within its 4 hospitals and 17 clinics. This new policy, that has been said to be “one of the toughest in the nation,” prohibits pharmaceutical companies from influencing doctors by limiting and controlling interaction between drug reps and doctors and excluding everything from pens and notepads to surgical caps and stethoscopes; essentially anything bearing a logo.
While some experts feel these materials can influence doctors to prescribe branded drugs over generics and therefore should be banned, others believe that by imposing such tight constraints important drug information and resources will be lost as well. What do you think this could mean for the future of healthcare branding?
