Washington and Lee law professor Shannon Fyfe has published an article in \u201cThe Conversation,\u201d a non-profit news organization that brings the expert knowledge of scholars to the broad public. The article, \u201cOff-label use of COVID-19 vaccines was once discouraged but has become common amid new guidelines,\u201d is coauthored with Professor Elizabeth Lanphier, a medical ethicist in the College of Medicine at the University of Cincinnati.<\/p>\n
In the article, the authors explore the evolving landscape of off-label usage of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States amid shifting regulatory guidance and public health strategy. \u201cOff-label use\u201d refers to administering an approved vaccine outside the age group, dosage, or indication for which it was explicitly authorized. The authors examine the vaccine approval process generally and explain the current policies of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as guidance offered by medical professional organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, which continue to broadly recommend the COVID-19 vaccine.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor people who would like to be vaccinated against COVID-19, knowing how off-label use fits into current regulations may be helpful for understanding their access to vaccines this respiratory virus season, and medical treatment in general,\u201d wrote the authors.<\/p>\n