off-label Archives - Drugs in Context

A brief note on randomized controlled trials and compassionate/off-label use of drugs in the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic

Matteo Bassetti MD, PhD, Paolo Pelosi MD, FERS, Chiara Robba MD, PhD, Antonio Vena MD, PhD, Daniele Roberto Giacobbe MD

Article Type

Editorial

Published

26 May 2020

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the best way to find effective and acceptable safe treatments for COVID-19 and any possible future outbreak. However, caution is needed when comparing the number of participants in RCTs with that of patients with COVID-19 treated with compassionate and/or off-label drugs to support the hypothesis that the latter are preferred by clinicians as an alternative to the former.