Comments on: Just How Corrupted Has American Medicine Become? http://chelseagreen.com/blogs/brucelevine/2009/01/14/just-how-corrupted-has-american-medicine-become/ Just another The Chelsea Green Weblogs weblog Wed, 22 May 2013 13:43:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: A. C. Paul http://chelseagreen.com/blogs/brucelevine/2009/01/14/just-how-corrupted-has-american-medicine-become/#comment-2 A. C. Paul Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:08:32 +0000 http://chelseagreen.com/blogs/brucelevine/?p=3#comment-2 The original problem behind off-label usage is that the FDA would require the same redundancy in testing, paperwork, trials, etc, that the drug went through for its first approval. If the drug is already a generic, the millions of dollars the approval costs is not at all cost-effective. So yes, gabapentin is used off-label for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy. The drug is EFFECTIVE and SAFE, and is a non-narcotic way of relieving some types of nerve pain. Given that, does it matter how its marketed to the docs? As a nurse, evidenced-based practice is the gold standard. Therefore, when I admit a diabetic patient with neuropathies, I will ask the admitting doc is gabapentin is called for. And the makers of Neurontin never wooed me. Or my coworkers. We just want what's best for the patient. The original problem behind off-label usage is that the FDA would require the same redundancy in testing, paperwork, trials, etc, that the drug went through for its first approval. If the drug is already a generic, the millions of dollars the approval costs is not at all cost-effective.

So yes, gabapentin is used off-label for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy. The drug is EFFECTIVE and SAFE, and is a non-narcotic way of relieving some types of nerve pain. Given that, does it matter how its marketed to the docs?

As a nurse, evidenced-based practice is the gold standard. Therefore, when I admit a diabetic patient with neuropathies, I will ask the admitting doc is gabapentin is called for. And the makers of Neurontin never wooed me. Or my coworkers. We just want what's best for the patient.

]]>