Identification of Confusing Medicine Proprietary Names: Toward Safe Medicine Use—A Cross-Sectional Study in Sri Lanka

US FDA. Best Practices in Developing Proprietary Names for Human Nonprescription Drug Products. Drug Saf. USA; 2020. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/default.htmand/or.

Health Canada. Guidance document for industry-Review of drug brand names. Ottawa; 2014. https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/hc-sc/migration/hc-sc/dhp-mps/alt_formats/pdf/pubs/medeff/guide/2014-review-examen_drug-medicament_names-marques/2014-review-examen_drug-medicament_names-marques-eng.pdf.

MHRA. Mhra Guideline for the Naming of Medicinal Products and Braille Requirements for Name on Label. London; 2019. https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/hc-sc/migration/hc-sc/dhp-mps/alt_formats/pdf/pubs/medeff/guide/2014-review-examen_drug-medicament_names-marques/2014-review-examen_drug-medicament_names-marques-eng.pdf

EMA, CHMP. Guideline on the acceptability of names for human medicinal products processed through the centralised procedure. 2014.

Centre for Patient Safety Solutions. Look-Alike, Sound-Alike Medication Names. WHO Press. World Heal. Organ. WHO Press, World Health Organization; 2007. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1553725007330493

Emmerton LM, Rizk MFS. Look-alike and sound-alike medicines: Risks and “solutions.” Int J Clin Pharm. 2012;34:4–8.

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Aronson JK. Confusion over similar drug names problems and solutions. Drug Saf. 1995;12:155–60. https://doi.org/10.2165/00002018-199512030-00001

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Ostini R, Roughead EE, Kirkpatrick CMJ, Monteith GR, Tett SE. Quality use of medicines–medication safety issues in naming; look-alike, sound-alike medicine names. Int J Pharm Pract. 2012;20:349–57.

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Kenagy JW, Stein GC. Naming, labeling, and packaging of pharmaceuticals. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2001;58:2033–41.

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Lambert BL, Lin SJ, Chang KY, Gandhi SK. Similarity as a risk factor in drug-name confusion errors: the look-alike (orthographic) and sound-alike (phonetic) model. Med Care. 1999;37:1214–25.

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Rataboli PV, Garg A. Confusing brand names: nightmare of medical profession. J Postgrad Med. 2005;51:13–6.

CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Merchant L, Lutter R, Chang S. Drug names that look or sound alike. Br Med J. 1979;2:1073.

Google Scholar 

Lebanova H, Getov I, Grigorov E. Descriptive study for look-alike and sound-alike medicines based on local language peculiarities. Afr J Pharm Pharmacol. 2012;6:2161–5.

Google Scholar 

Davis NM, Cohen MR, Teplitsky B. Look-alike and sound-alike drug names: the problem and the solution. Hosp Pharm; 27:95–8, 102–5, 108–10. 1992. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10183617/

Godinho LF, Carreira C, Martins C. Medicamentos look-alike, sound-alike: um velho conceito sempre em atualização. Rev da Soc Port Anestesiol. 2018;27:20–4.

Google Scholar 

Lambert BL, Chang KY, Lin SJ. Effect of orthographic and phonological similarity on false recognition of drug names. Soc Sci Med. 2001;52:1843–57.

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

US Pharmacopeia. USP quality review. 2001; 1–6. https://www.pbm.va.gov/vacenterformedicationsafety/othervasafetyprojects/appendixiiusplasa.pdf.

Dilsha RAN, Kularathne HMIP, Mujammil MTM, Irshad SMM, Samaranayake NR. Nature of dispensing errors in selected hospitals providing free healthcare: a multi-center study in Sri Lanka. BMC Health Serv Res. 2020;20:1140. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05968-y.

Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Solomon KJ. Medication errors from similar trademarks. JAMA. 1978;239:1130. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1978.03280390026003.

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Lambert BL. Medication errors Article. Health Care. 1997;54:1161–71.

CAS  Google Scholar 

ISMP. ConfusedDrug Names ISMP 2019. 2019. https://www.ismp.org/recommendations/confused-drug-names-list

Galanter WL, Bryson ML, Falck S, Rosenfield R, Laragh M, Shrestha N, et al. Indication alerts intercept drug name confusion errors during computerized entry of medication orders. PLoS ONE. 2014;9:101977. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0101977.

Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Naunton M, Nor K, Bartholomaeus A, Thomas J, Kosari S. Case report of a medication error. Medicine. 2016;95:e4186.

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Shaw KN, Lillis KA, Ruddy RM, Mahajan PV, Lichenstein R, Olsen CS, et al. Reported medication events in a paediatric emergency research network: sharing to improve patient safety. Emerg Med J. 2013;30:815–9.

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Chanakit T. The survey of look alike/sound alike (LASA) drugs available in hospitals in Thailand. Afr J Pharm Pharmacol. 2013;7:227–39.

Article  Google Scholar 

Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Economics and social statistics of Sri Lanka [Internet]. Volume XLI. Department of Statistics, editor. Central Bank of Sri Lanka; 2020. http://www.cbsl.gov.lk

NMRA. Registered Medicines. https://www.nmra.gov.lk/index.php?option=com_drugs&view=drugs&Itemid=221&lang=en

Athuraliya N, Walkom EJ, Dharmaratne S, Robertson J. Assessing medication packaging and labelling appropriateness in Sri Lanka. J Pharm Policy Pract. 2016;9:38. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40545-016-0091-5.

Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Perera T, Ranasinghe P, Perera U, Perera S, Adikari M, Jayasinghe S, et al. Knowledge of prescribed medication information among patients with limited English proficiency in Sri Lanka. BMC Res Notes. 2012;5:658. https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-0500-5-658.

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Taherdoost H. Determining sample size: how to calculate survey sample size. Int J Econ Manag Syst. 2017;2:237–9.

Google Scholar 

Bryan R, Aronson JK, Williams A, Jordan S. The problem of look-alike, sound-alike name errors: Drivers and solutions. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2021;87:386–94. https://doi.org/10.1111/bcp.14285.

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

NMRA. Guidelines on labeling of medicines [Internet]. Natl. Med. Regul. Auth. Sri Lanka: National Medicines Regulatory Authority. 2019; pp. 1–9. https://nmra.gov.lk/images/PDF/guideline/Guideline_by_Praba/Labeling-guidelines-1.pdf

Sri Lanka. National Medicines Regulatory Authority Act, No. 5 of 2015. Sri Lanka: The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. p. 1–99.

Sri Lanka. National Medicines (Registration and Licensing of Medicine) Regulations, 2019. Sri Lanka: The Gazette Extraordinary. 2019; p. 1–68

Merchant L, Lutter R, Chang S. Identical or similar brand names used in different countries for medications with different active ingredients: a descriptive analysis. BMJ Qual Saf. 2020;29:988–91. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2019-010316.

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Institute for Safe Medication Practices. Safety briefs: Same name, different drug. 2005.

Rathish D, Bahini S, Sivakumar T, Thiranagama T, Abarajithan T, Wijerathne B, et al. Drug utilization, prescription errors and potential drug-drug interactions: an experience in rural Sri Lanka. BMC Pharmacol Toxicol. 2016;17:27. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40360-016-0071-z.

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Joshi MC, Joshi HS, Tariq K, Ejaj A, Prayag S, Raju A. A prospective study of medication errors arising out of look-alike and sound-alike brand names confusion. Int J Risk Saf Med. 2007;19:195–201.

Google Scholar 

Dayasiri K, Jayamanne SF, Jayasinghe CY. Accidental and deliberate self-poisoning with medications and medication errors among children in rural Sri Lanka. Emerg Med Int. 2020;2020:1–8.

Article  Google Scholar 

Comments (0)

No login
gif