[Off-label use in palliative medicine].

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care
• Pharmacotherapy
• Drug Utilization

Background:

• Palliative care aims to enhance the quality of life for patients with incurable diseases.
• Pharmacotherapy for distressing symptoms is a key component of palliative care.
• Off-label drug use, outside of marketing authorization, is prevalent in this setting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the significance and implications of off-label drug use in palliative care.
• To outline essential considerations for the safe and effective implementation of off-label therapies.
• To emphasize the importance of reporting due to a lack of authorization studies.

Main Methods:

• Review of current practices and challenges in off-label pharmacotherapy within palliative and hospice care.
• Discussion of essential elements for treatment planning, including drug-related and patient-related aspects.
• Emphasis on the need for comprehensive information, therapy monitoring, and documentation of effects.

Main Results:

• Off-label drug use is frequent and often unavoidable in palliative care settings.
• Successful off-label therapy requires meticulous attention to patient-specific factors and drug information.
• Robust reporting is critical for advancing the scientific understanding of off-label use.

Conclusions:

• Off-label pharmacotherapy is integral to optimizing palliative care outcomes.
• A structured approach to planning, monitoring, and documenting off-label treatments ensures an appropriate risk-benefit ratio.
• Continued reporting is vital for evidence generation in the absence of formal authorization studies.