Public uninformed about off-label prescribing: poll

Ignorance abounds when it comes to off-label prescribing, according to a recent Harris Poll.

According to Harris, of 2,148 U.S. adults contacted online between May 25 and 27:

• 51% said they thought that doctors could only prescribe a drug for a disease for which it has received FDA approval.

• 31% said they thought physicians could prescribe a drug off-label for any disease.

• 17% were unsure.

• 48% said doctors should not be allowed to prescribe for off-label usage.

• 73% said pharmaceutical companies should not be allowed to encourage doctors to prescribe for off-label usage.

Humphrey Taylor, chairman of the Harris Poll, which conducted the survey for the Wall Street Journal Online, said the results showed "a massive public ignorance of off-label prescribing" and that the practice presents "a potentially risky issue for both physicians and the pharmaceutical industry."