Vol , Issue Date of Publication: May 29, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20529/IJME.2025.044

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Off-label use of baclofen for alcohol use disorders in India: no ethics without science

Alain Braillon
Florian Naudet
Abstract:

Off-label use of drugs, when not supported by sound scientific evidence, hinders the development of evidence-based medicine and therapeutic innovation, is costly to the healthcare system, and exposes patients to unnecessary risks, including mortality, for an uncertain benefit. Off-label use of baclofen is the preferred pharmacotherapy for alcohol use disorders in India, despite its negative benefit/harm ratio, and the fact that acamprosate or naltrexone have long been established as robustly evidence-based medicines. This unacceptable state of affairs only illustrates the fact that the marketing strategies of industry cannot be the sole basis for prescribing a drug.


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©Indian Journal of Medical Ethics 2025: Open Access and Distributed under the Creative Commons license ( CC BY-NC-ND 4.0),
which permits only non-commercial and non-modified sharing in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.

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