Evergreening

Evergreening
Off Label Prescription Drugs

The ground between 'evergreening' and 'off label prescribing' becomes very shadowy. Evergreening involves the manufacturers of a particular drug restricting or preventing competition from a generic (equivalent) to that drug by extending the original patent (before it expires). Applying a drug to another (untested) situation while still covered by patent is known as off label prescribing and does not require any clinical trials. The assumption being that if a drug is safe for one condition and manufactured to the same ethical standard, then it is an acceptable practice. And safe. It relies totally on the knowledge of the prescribing doctor and accurate and complete information.

Those doctors are constantly targeted

by company salesmen

Consider the use of an aircraft that has been passed and approved for conveying passengers through the air. But used as a means of transport on a public road. The original use of the device (plane) has been approved, so the assumption could be that it is safe and appropriate to use on a road.