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Medication Errors Caused by Confusion of Drug Names

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Abstract

Many drug names can look or sound like other drug names, which leads to confusion and potentially harmful medication errors. While various types of drug names exist, brand (proprietary) names are most commonly confused. Examples of the numerous drug names that have been confused because they look and/or sound similar include Celebrex® (celecoxib), Cerebyx® (fosphenytoin), and Celexa® (citalopram). Factors such as poor handwriting and clinical similarity may exacerbate the problem. This problem can be alleviated through actions by regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, healthcare professionals, and patients. To address the problem, significant changes in the pharmaceutical regulatory process have occurred in the US and Europe.

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Notes

  1. Use of brand names is for identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge Steve Rough M.S. and Lee Vermeulen M.S. for their critical review and helpful comments on this article. No external funding was provided for the preparation of this manuscript. The authors do not have any conflicts of interest directly relevant to the contents of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pharmacy Department, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, F6/133-1530, 600 Highland Ave., Madison, Wisconsin, WI 53792, USA

    James M. Hoffman

  2. Med-E.R.R.S., Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, USA

    Susan M. Proulx

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  1. James M. Hoffman
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  2. Susan M. Proulx
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Correspondence to James M. Hoffman.

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Hoffman, J.M., Proulx, S.M. Medication Errors Caused by Confusion of Drug Names. Drug-Safety 26, 445–452 (2003). https://doi.org/10.2165/00002018-200326070-00001

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