Original Article - Confusing brand names: Nightmare of medical profession
OBJECTIVE: India has more than 20,000 registered pharmaceuticalmanufacturers. Consequently, there is a flood of brand names to choosefrom. We conducted this study to analyse and sort out the multitudinousbrand names thronging the Indian market, and identified those thatcould create a possible confusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Recent issuesof drug formularies like Indian Drug Review, Drug Index, and MonthlyIndex of Medical Specialities-India were checked and all the brandnames given were included. Some other brand names that are availablewith the pharmacists but are not included in these indexes were alsoincluded in the study for analysis. OBSERVATIONS: Potentially confusingbrand names were sorted out and categorised according to the severityof damage they can cause if misinterpreted by the pharmacist or thepatient. Subgroups were made according to the brand name, the genericname, and the manufacturers of the drug. CONCLUSION: Several brandnames are strikingly identical, similar looking (orthographic), orsimilar sounding (phonological). Preventing this possible confusion isnot the work of any one person involved. We describe the role ofprescribing doctors, dispensing pharmacists, consumer patients, and themanufacturing companies to prevent "wrong prescribing" due tosimilarities in brand names.
Year of publication: |
2005-12-31
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Authors: | Rataboli, P. V. ; Garg, A. |
Publisher: |
Medknow Publications and Staff Society of Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital, Mumbai, India |
Subject: | Identical | look-alike | sound-alike | confusing | brand names |
Saved in:
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