Off label prescribing in children

doi:10.1136/bmj.325.7359.338

BMJ 2002;325:338 ( 10 August )

Letters

Off label prescribing in children

It is easy to be cynical

Children's human rights are violated

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR $---$ We read with interest the articles regarding off licence prescribing in children and agree that prescribing in childrenmust improve.^1-4 It will be difficult to change the prescribinghabits of doctors treating children. If only licensed drugs wereprescribed, it would greatly restrict the pharmaceutical choicefor that age group. We found it of particular interest that theformulary approved by the Royal College of Paediatrics and ChildHealth (Medicines for Children) states that doctors who prescribefor a child should choose the medicine that offers the best prospectfor the child, with due regard to cost and that in general itis not necessary to obtain the explicit consent of parents, carers,or child patients to prescribe or administer licensed medicinesfor unlicensed applications or unlicensed medicines.⁵

(Credit: MIKE BLUESTONE/SPL)

In stark contrast to this the Small Animal Formulary (4th ed) approved by the British Small Animal Veterinary . . . [Full text of this article]

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Off label prescribing in children: William Banner, Jr
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