Also suggested for inclusion when writing the prescriptions are the brand names and what the medicines are for.
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Brintellix is a serotonergic agonist and antagonist indicated for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). The two medications are Brintellix, an antidepressant, and Brilinta, a blood-thinning medication used to treat severe chest pain, prevent death after a heart attack or prevent a second heart attack.
Health care professionals can reduce the risk of brand name confusion by including the generic name-vortioxetine for Brintellix and ticagrelor for Brilinta-as well as the intended indication when prescribing these medications. Patients should also verify that they received the correct medication. Although no ingestion of the wrong drug has been reported, in one case Brintellix was misinterpreted as Brilinta, resulting in a pharmacist not dispensing any medication due to the patient having a contraindication to antiplatelet therapy.
The agency says 12 of the reports resulted in a patient being given the wrong drug; however, none of the reports indicate that a patient actually consumed the wrong drug.
Inspect the appearance of the tablet.
While both drugs come in tablet form and in some cases have the same color, there are differences to look out for.
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Brilinta is a round, yellow tablet with “T 90” stamped on it. 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. FDA determined that the main reason for the confusion between these two medications is the similarity of their brand (proprietary) names. It also asked manufacturers Johnson & Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline PLC to change their packaging so they looked less alike.
