Dr Vinod Moudgil, 64, had not told patients why they were receiving the ‘unusual’ drug for their symptoms and did not seek ethical approval from the health authorities, it is alleged.

In one case the GP gave the allergy pills to a woman with a blocked ear, the General Medical Council heard.

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Moudgil also faces an allegation of deficient professional performance after failing a test of his knowledge and skills.

The doctor, who has worked at the Alton Practice in Wimbledon, south east London, since December 2002, was investigated when patients queried their prescriptions.

Christopher Hamlet for the GMC said: “Dr Moudgil was prescribing a drug called Fexofenadine, which is an antihistamine, to a number of patients whose symptoms did not accord with the licensed use of that drug and where there was no other clinical reason to prescribe that drug.

“Dr Moudgil admits that allegation and he admits that he did so by way of a clinical trial for which he received no patient consent, and for which he had not received proper authority or ethical authority that was required to conduct such a trial.”

Moudgil was prescribing twice as many allergy tablets as other clinics in the Wandsworth Borough, the GMC was told.

He would prescribe the drug out of season for ‘unrelated’ conditions such as laryngitis, neck and back aches, it is claimed.

Chief pharmacist for the area, Nicholas Beavon, became concerned after the practice manager Amar Alissa and GP husband Dr Ali Alissa alerted him.

In a statement to the GMC mr Beavon said: “The number of prescriptions issued was approximately twice that of the highest number issued in any other practice.

“Dr Alissa said he noticed Dr Moudgil prescribing fexofenadine out of season and for problems such as laryngitis.

“Patients had been coming to see him because they had not understood why they had been prescribed it.

“Dr Alissa told me that he had approached Dr Moudgil about this matter and he said he was doing research into head and neck pain.

“I ran some further checks and it was clearly apparent that Dr Moudgil’s prescribing was far out of line with other practices in the area.

“I carried out a search for fexofenadine prescriptions and the results ran for several hundred prescriptions.”

But Moudgil had not applied for ethical approval for his clinical trial and had not informed the patients they were taking part, it is claimed.

Practice manager and patient Amar Alissa first went to see the GP with blocked ears.

But despite asking for ear drops she was given the antihistamine.

Moudgil was asked to undergo a GMC performance assessment between August 2008 and may 2009.

But in seven of the tests his score was ‘unacceptable’. In a further four it was ‘cause for concern’, it is claimed.

Moudgil, of Wimbledon, qualified in India in 1971 and came to the UK in 1978.

He has admitted all 12 charges against him, including running a clinical trial without ethical approval.

He has admitted that his professional performance was deficient.

The hearing continues.