THOUGHTS ON THE STATEMENTS BELOW? AGREE OR DISAGREE?

The First Amendment Defense as it pertains to "off label promotion" has allowed pharmaceutical manufacturers and providers to share information about a prescription drug that is truthful and not misleading, but it was not for the intended use of the drug (Misbranded, 2009). Because these actions are done with the intention of success and helpfulness and not greed or harm, personally, I believe that physicians should be able to provide this information and drugs to patients with guidelines and restrictions in place.

To reduce liability, the healthcare entity should have a board that gathers to hear a physicians argument for why they believe they should provide their patient with a prescription for a drug that is not intended for their ailment, like an internal IRB. This will allow entities to set apart those who may be providing the drug for additional kickbacks and ensure there is no "on label" drug that can provide the same results. I believe there should also be restrictions on drugs that are widely used. For example, Ozempic is a FDA approved drug for type 2 diabetes, however it is a great use for weight loss (Jordan, 2023). Unfortunately, this discovery has caused a shortage, leaving many diabetics who rely on Ozempic short handed (Jordan, 2023). Because the lack of taking a prescription daily can have fatal effects, the government should place restricts on which drugs can be used for "off label" prescriptions.