China Cancer Drug Off-Label Use: A Crossed Line?

Conflicts Of Interest, Promotion In Spotlight

23 Apr 2021

Off-label use of cancer drugs in China is legal and even common in certain cases. But a line has been crossed in cases of active promotion and even conflicts of interest for some high-priced products and unproven cell therapies, unveiled by a Chinese physician whistleblower, regulatory observers say.

When it comes to life-saving medicines such as anticancer drugs, physicians have routinely prescribed certain therapies that may not have gained formal approval for a certain indication. Such off-label use is normally not illegal and even common for compassionate use purposes.

However, recent revelations by a clinical oncologist at a prestigious Peking university hospital in China outline off-label use in the...