International Drug Name Confusion

Institute for Safe Medication Practices. ISMP's list of confused drug names. Available at: www.ismp.org/Tools/confuseddrugnames.pdf. Updated April 1, 2005. Accessed April 3, 2006.

United States Pharmacopeia. Use caution—avoid confusion. USP Qual Rev. 2004; 79: online. Available at: http://www.usp.org/patientSafety/newsletters/qualityReview/qr792004-04-01.html. Accessed April 4, 2006.

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Look alike/sound-alike drug list. Available at: www.jointcommission.org/NR/rdonlyres/C92AAB3F-A9BD-431C-8628-11DD2D1D53CC/0/lasa.pdf. Accessed April 4, 2006.

Kenagy J.W. , Stein G.C. Naming, labeling, and packaging of pharmaceuticals. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2001; 2033–2041.

Rados C. Drug name confusion: preventing medication errors. FDA Consumer. 2005; 39: online. Available at: www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2005/405_confusion.html. Accessed April 3, 2006.

Institute for Safe Medication Practices. New dangers in the drug reimportation process: will we know what our patients are taking? ISMP Med Saf Alert. January 27, 2005. Available at: www.ismp.org/Newsletters/acutecare/articles/20050127.asp?ptr=y. Accessed January 26, 2006.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Public Health Advisory January 2006: Consumers filling U.S. prescriptions abroad may get the wrong active ingredient because of confusing drug names. Available at: www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/reports/confusing-names.html. Accessed January 26, 2006.

Boring D. The development and adoption of nonproprietary, established, and proprietary names for pharmaceuticals. Drug Info J. 1997; 31: 621–634.

World Health Organization. Guidance on INN. Available at: www.who.int/medicines/services/inn/innquidance/en. Accessed April 3, 2006.

World Health Organization. Selection process of INNs. Available at: www.who.int/medicines/services/inn/selection/en. Accessed April 3, 2006.

Wick J.Y. What's in a drug name? J Am Pharm Assoc. 2004; 44: 12–14.

Kopp-Kubel S. International Nonproprietary Names (INN) for pharmaceutical substances. Bull World Health Organiz. 1995; 73: 275–279.

Food and Drug Administration. Office of Drug Safety Divisions. Available at: www.fda.gov/cder/Offices/ODS/divisions.htm. Accessed April 5, 2006.

Holquist C. , Phillips J. How FDA reviews drug names. Drug Topics. 2001; 145: 36.

Food and Drug Administration. Food and Drug Administration Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Office of Drug Safety Annual Report FY 2004. Available at: www.fda.gov/cder/Offices/ODS/AnnRep2004/default.htm. Accessed April 5, 2006.

Matthews A.W. When a drug maker launches new baby, Uncle Sam vets name. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition). New York, NY: March 17, 2006; A1.

Chase M. Buying the wrong medicine overseas; some foreign brands have same name as U.S. drugs, but different ingredients. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition). New York, NY: August 16, 2005; D1.

George C.F. Naming of drugs: pass the epinephrine, please [editorial]. BMJ. 1996; 312: 1315–1316.

Sweetman S.C. , ed. Martindale: The Complete Drug Reference. London, UK: Pharmaceutical Press; Greenwood Village, CO: Electronic version, Thomson Micromedex; 2006.

Swiss Pharmaceutical Society, ed. Index Nominum: International Drug Directory. Stuttgart, Germany: Medpharm Scientific Publishers; Greenwood Village, CO: Electronic version, Thomson Micromedex; 2006.

Navarro F.A. Naming of drugs. Differences between nomenclatures are much greater than editorial suggested [letter]. BMJ. 1996; 313: 688–689.