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

That’s why it’s being used off-label around the world to treat people with a variety of mental health issues. —Soph Warnes, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2025

Insurance companies may refuse to pay for medications if they are taken for off-label purposes. —Jessica Swirble, Verywell Health, 24 Sep. 2025

For that reason, some clinicians have experimented with off-label, low-dose rapamycin to try to slow aging. —New Atlas, 24 Sep. 2025

Leucovorin is approved by the FDA to counteract the side effects of certain chemotherapy drugs and is sometimes used off-label to treat vitamin B9 deficiency. —Erika Edwards, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2025

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