Navigation Links
U.S. Pharmacopeia 8th Annual MEDMARX(R) Report Indicates Look-Alike/Sound-Alike Drugs Lead to Thousands of Medication Errors Nationwide
Date:1/29/2008

Each of the top 10 most prescribed drugs in America commonly confused with

at least one other drug

ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The 8th annual national MEDMARX(R) Data Report released today by the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) revealed that more than 1,400 commonly used drugs are involved in errors linked to drug names that look alike or sound alike. According to findings in the MEDMARX report, 1.4% of the errors resulted in patient harm, including seven errors that may have caused or contributed to patient deaths. However, due to widespread underreporting of incidents, the study's authors believe that the number of adverse events resulting from look-alike/sound-alike errors is actually understated.

For this year's report, USP reviewed more than 26,000 records submitted to the MEDMARX database from 2003 to 2006. These records revealed that 1,470 different drugs are implicated in medication errors due to brand and/or generic names that looked or sounded alike. From this data, USP compiled a list of 3,170 pairs of names that look and/or sound alike. This result is nearly double the 1,750 pairs that were identified in USP's previous report on this topic in 2004.

In response to the findings, USP is calling on prescribers and pharmacists to include an "indication for use" on prescriptions. Indication for use is a phrase that signals why the patient is taking the drug (e.g. cough, infection, rash). To prevent medication errors, USP recommends that this powerful piece of information be conveyed at several points along the health care continuum. Additionally, prescribers should use trustworthy decision-support tools to help ensure accuracy. Tools such as Epocrates, Lexi-Drugs, and others have been helpful in reducing potential medication errors, and the addition of MEDMARX look-alike/sound-alike data will make such tools even stronger.

"Errors resulting from look-alike/sound-alike drugs are a problem that span
'/>"/>

SOURCE U.S. Pharmacopeia
Copyright©2008 PR Newswire.
All rights reserved

Page: 1 2 3

Related medicine news :

1. US Pharmacopeia partners with Quantros to enhance the MEDMARX patient safety reporting program
2. Pharmacopeia and GlaxoSmithKline Collaboration Identifies Two Additional Lead Compounds
3. Pharmacopeia Acquires Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARM) Program from Bristol-Myers Squibb
4. Pharmacopeia Announces Senior Additions to Management Team
5. Michigan Dentists Giving Free Dental Care to Low-Income Children During Annual Give Kids a Smile Program Starting February 1
6. Nanotech Briefs Announces Call for Nominations for the Fourth Annual Nano 50(TM) Awards
7. DrScore.com Releases Annual Report Card on Patient Satisfaction in the U.S.
8. Diabetes Health Toll Hits $174 Billion Annually
9. Weight Watchers to Present at Credit Suisse 10th Annual Global Services Conference
10. ATS Medical Participating in 44th Annual STS Annual Meeting
11. Ohio Dental Volunteers to Give Over $1.1M in Free Care and Improve Oral Health of 18,000 Children in Need Through 6th Annual Give Kids A Smile! Day Ohio

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:11/25/2009)... Nationwide Imaging Services, known ...ons for diagnostic imaging equipment, now offering...ing financing options, service and installation wi...Medical Technologies of California) , ...- Nationwide Imaging Services is proud to announce...
(Date:11/25/2009)...CLEMENS,Mich.,Nov.25/PRNewswire/--TwomoreH1N1vacci...rday,Dec.5,theMacombCountyHealthDepartmentannounce...ceatFreedomHillCountyParkinSterlingHeights. ,, ...ewillrunfrom9a.m.to3p.m.Thethimerosol-freeversiono...ilesupplieslast.Bothinjectableandnasalsprayimmuniz...
(Date:11/25/2009)... - Two signaling pathways essential to normal huma...al growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathways - intera...d metastasis, researchers from The University of T...v. 25 issue of Molecular Cell . , This newly ch...omponents known to correlate with invasive cancer ...
(Date:11/25/2009)...ease is available in French . , An innovati...University Health Centre researchers has passed it...w approach is an immunotherapy customized for each... Routy from the Research Institute of the MUHC in ... de Montral. "This is a vaccine made for the indiv...
(Date:11/25/2009)... offer waistline-friendly ways to enjoy festive fe... News) -- If you love the five-week holiday smorga...eady stressing about the added pounds you,ll have ...,s possible, say nutrition experts, to enjoy holid...as you do today. , It,s all about devising a s...
Breaking Medicine News(10 mins):Health News:Nationwide Imaging Services, Inc., Leader In Diagnostic Imaging Equipment, Announces Acquisition Of Kosmic Medical, Inc. (dba Atlas Medical Technologies of California) 2Health News:Nationwide Imaging Services, Inc., Leader In Diagnostic Imaging Equipment, Announces Acquisition Of Kosmic Medical, Inc. (dba Atlas Medical Technologies of California) 3Health News:Macomb County Health Department Schedules Two More H1N1 Flu Vaccine Clinics Dec. 3 and 5 2Health News:Crosstalk between critical cell-signaling pathways holds clues to tumor invasion and metastasis 2Health News:Crosstalk between critical cell-signaling pathways holds clues to tumor invasion and metastasis 3Health News:Tailor-made HIV/AIDS treatment closer to reality 2Health News:Holiday Eating Without the Guilt -- or the Pounds 2Health News:Holiday Eating Without the Guilt -- or the Pounds 3
...tudy on mice has shown that a synthetic derivative..., may help boost the odds of living longer. ...ler says that the compound derived from creosote i...e mice fed a normal diet and NDGA have so far been...
...due University researchers have found evidence tha...nt role in the ocean circulation patterns that tr...rica and Europe. According to Matthew Hube... Emanuel that suggests there is an additional fact...
...CAGO, June 1 The specialty oriented professional m...clinical information, today introduced SearchMedi...ine that will prioritize search results by publica...the new search engine at Chicago's McCormick Place...
... ORLEANS, A new pair of studies compare step count...oderate physical activity and 2) a one-mile mark. ...e 54th American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) ...y, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and P...
...awful lot of sexuality in Enrique Iglesias lyrics ...se . The Spanish singer recently revealed ...ought about sex every two minutes. When as... every two minutes. That sounds about right,' the ...
...the June 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Invest...of Rochester Medical Center shows that a key infla...to parsing out damage after a stroke and other bra...a hallmark of the disease. While many scie...
Other Medicine News:Health News:Common Desert Shrub may Increase Longevity 2Health News:Tropical Cyclones Play Important Role in Climate-control 2Health News:CMPMedica Adds Oncology Search Engine to SearchMedica.com 2Health News:Step-Based Guidelines in New Pair of Studies 2Health News:Brain Inflammation A Friend for Alzheimer's Patients 2Health News:Brain Inflammation A Friend for Alzheimer's Patients 3
(Date:11/24/2009)...-ChindexInternational,Inc.,("Chindex")(Nasdaq: CHD...ealthcareproductsandservicesinthePeople,sRepublico...1stAnnualPiperJaffray,"Unplugged"HealthCareConfere...tel. , Managementiscurrentlyscheduledtopresen...n-onemeetingsthroughouttheday.Awebcast,ofthepresen...
(Date:11/24/2009)...all/--QuestDiagnosticsIncorporated(NYSE: DGX ),the...ionandservices,announcedthatitisscheduledtospeakat...YorkCity.ThepresentationisscheduledforWednesday,De...conference,thecompanywillreaffirmits2009guidancefo...eed18%ofrevenues,anddilutedearningspersharefromcon...
(Date:11/24/2009)...RNewswire/-- EisaiInc.andPfizerIncannouncedtodayt...dforreviewEisai,sNewDrugApplication(NDA)foroncedai...bletsforthetreatmentofmoderatetosevereAlzheimer,sd...gofdonepezilHClinanextendedrelease,matrix-typetabl...thedrug.TheNDAisbasedonahead-to-headclinicalstudyc...
Breaking Medicine Technology:Chindex International to Present at Piper Jaffray Health Care Conference 2Quest Diagnostics To Speak At The 21st Annual Piper Jaffray Healthcare Conference 2FDA Accepts Once Daily 23 mg Aricept(R) Extended Release NDA for Review 2FDA Accepts Once Daily 23 mg Aricept(R) Extended Release NDA for Review 3Volcano Corporation Presentation At Canaccord Adams Conference To Be Webcast 13452 1Volcano Corporation Presentation At Canaccord Adams Conference To Be Webcast 13452 2Novavax Reports Second Quarter 2009 Financial Results 13450 1Novavax Reports Second Quarter 2009 Financial Results 13450 2Novavax Reports Second Quarter 2009 Financial Results 13450 3Novavax Reports Second Quarter 2009 Financial Results 13450 4Novavax Reports Second Quarter 2009 Financial Results 13450 5Novavax Reports Second Quarter 2009 Financial Results 13450 6Novavax Reports Second Quarter 2009 Financial Results 13450 7Novavax Reports Second Quarter 2009 Financial Results 13450 8Novavax Reports Second Quarter 2009 Financial Results 13450 9More Than 100 Healthy Schools Honored by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation 53936 1More Than 100 Healthy Schools Honored by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation 53936 2More Than 100 Healthy Schools Honored by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation 53936 3More Than 100 Healthy Schools Honored by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation 53936 4More Than 100 Healthy Schools Honored by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation 53936 5
Focus Diagnostics
IBT Reference Laboratory
Regional Medical Laboratory
LabOne
Medicine Products: