FDA warns about confusion between blood-thinner Brilinta and antidepressant

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a safety alert for two drugs, Brintellix and Brilinta, after receiving 50 reports of confusion between them caused by similarities in the drugs’ names.

FDA is warning health care professionals and patients that reports of confusion between the antidepressant Brintellix and anti-blood clotting medication Brilinta have resulted in the wrong medication being prescribed or dispensed.

The FDA recommends inclusion of the medication’s brand and generic name as well as the indication for use when prescribing these medications. However, none of the reports indicates that a patient ingested the wrong medication, says the regulatory agency.

Brilinta, the blood-thinner, is also called ticagrelor and is sold by AstraZeneca PLC.

The agency also rejects names that can mislead consumers by making a drug sound uniquely effective, and it doesn’t allow names that are “overly fanciful”. Meanwhile, patients should check their prescriptions to ensure that the correct drug was dispensed.

Look at the name on the bottle.

Know why you are taking it.

Brintellix is a tear-shaped tablet stamped with the letters “TL”.

One suggestion being floated around is for the doctors to include the generic names of the drugs to avoid the mix up. In 2011, the agency said five patients were hospitalized when they were given the antipsychotic drug Risperdal instead of Requip, which treats symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and restless legs syndrome. The FDA is encouraging health care professionals and patients to report adverse events and side effects related to the use of either product to its MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Reporting Program.