Off-Label Use
Prescribing an approved drug for a use outside its FDA indication — legal, common, and central to the Ozempic-for-weight era.
Once the FDA approves a drug, physicians may legally prescribe it for other conditions based on judgment and evidence — that's off-label use, and it's everywhere in medicine. The GLP-1 boom ran on it: Ozempic (approved for diabetes) prescribed for weight before Wegovy supply caught up, Mounjaro likewise before Zepbound existed.
Off-label isn't a red flag by itself; the flags are elsewhere. Insurance usually won't cover off-label weight use, evidence at the exact dose may be thinner, and marketing that blurs which product is approved for what deserves suspicion. A prescriber who explains the label status plainly — as ours do when matching Zepbound versus Mounjaro — is the system working as designed.
This glossary entry is general information, not medical advice, and is written to be consistent with FDA prescribing information and primary trial publications as of its last review. Always consult a licensed healthcare provider for personal medical decisions.
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