off-label

adjective

off-la·​bel ˈȯf-ˌlā-bəl 

: of, relating to, or being a drug used to treat a condition for which it has not been officially approved

Examples of off-label in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Rau, in his first round of testimony, seemed to acknowledge having used alpha-lipoic acid off-label. — D. T. Max, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026

Letybo is currently cleared only for glabellar lines, but dermatologists are already using it off-label for crow’s feet and platysmal bands in the neck. — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 26 Oct. 2026

It is sometimes used off-label to help manage weight gain and metabolic side effects associated with antipsychotic drugs. — Karen Berger, Verywell Health, 23 Oct. 2026

Startups including Quel, Livelyhood, and Choose Your Horizon are already marketing off-label prescriptions of the popular obesity drugs to people struggling with substance use. — Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 22 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1987, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for off-label

• damnable
• disable
• enable
• roundtable
• timetable
• turntable
• unable
• unstable
• able
• chaebol
• fable
• label

Medical Definition

off-label

adjective

off-la·​bel ˌȯf-ˌlā-bəl 

: of, relating to, or being an approved drug legally prescribed or a medical device legally used by a physician for a purpose (as the treatment of children or of a certain disease or condition) for which it has not been specifically approved (as by the United States Food and Drug Administration)

the off-label use of oral contraceptives to treat dysmenorrhea