In the prescription-drug industry, off-label use of prescription drugs is not that unusual. Health care providers are permitted to use a drug or device off label. Pharmaceutical companies, however, are not allowed to market or promote their products for any uses other than those approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. If they do, they are subject to huge fines. If you’re a medical writer who writes content for pharmaceutical sales and marketing materials, you need to be aware of the regulations surrounding off-label use, and help clients by avoiding writing about off-label uses when you know that content will appear in promotional materials, since that is illegal.