http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=2854239

FDA to Hold Public Meeting on Drug Names

Fri May 30, 2003 05:34 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced an upcoming public meeting to discuss ways to prevent medication errors caused by similar drug names.

Many of the medication errors reported to the FDA result from drug names that look or sound confusingly alike, according to the agency, which will hold the meeting in conjunction with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices.

The FDA said the main goal of the meeting is to solicit feedback on a recommendation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that pharmaceutical firms be required to test a proposed brand name's potential for causing confusion before submitting a marketing application for the product. The agency said the comments received at the meeting may help it formulate a draft guidance on the subject.

The full-day meeting will take place on June 26 in Washington, D.C. Individuals wishing to speak at the meeting must register by June 13, while those wishing only to attend have until June 20. Written comments will also be accepted, the FDA said in a notice on the meeting issued on Friday.

"This meeting is intended to encourage an open public discussion with representatives from industry, the healthcare professions, consumer groups, academia or other interested individuals," the agency said.

Issues to be addressed include whether current methods of evaluating the similarity of drug names are appropriate, how to most effectively design studies to evaluate potential prescription errors and whether there should be different brand name evaluation procedures for prescription and nonprescription drugs.

A full copy of the FDA notice is available on the agency's Web site, www.fda.gov/cder.