Alabama passed a law that prohibits the state's board of medical examiners and medical licensure commission from taking adverse action against physicians who prescribe or recommend off-label medical treatments, the Alabama Reflector reported May 20.
"This bill just allowed a doctor to do what they're already doing without any fear of reprisal from the State Medical Board," Sen. Arthur Orr told the news outlet.
The law indicates it's the physician's role to look at the risks and benefits of medication and inform the patient of what is and isn't known, David Williams, MD, told the Reflector.
The issue of off-label prescription became prominent at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when some physicians in some states faced adverse action for prescribing off-label treatment.