The Office of Generic Drugs requested manufacturers of sixteen look-alike name pairs to voluntarily revise the appearance of their established names in order to minimize medication errors resulting from look-alike confusion. The project spanned a two month period beginning in March 2001 and ending in May 2001. In total, 142 letters were issued for 159 applications. The letters encouraged manufacturers to supplement their applications with revised labels and labeling that visually differentiated their established names with the use of "Tall Man" letters. The following is a list of the established names involved and the recommended revisions:
Established Name |
Recommended Name |
Acetohexamide Acetazolamide |
AcetaHEXAMIDE AcetaZOLAMIDE |
Bupropion Buspirone |
BuPROPion BusPIRone |
Chlorpromazine Chlorpropamide |
ChlorproMAZINE ChlorproPAMIDE |
Clomiphene Clomipramine |
ClomiPHENE ClomiPRAMINE |
Cyclosporine Cycloserine |
CycloSPORINE CycloSERINE |
Daunorubicin Doxorubicin |
DAUNOrubicin DOXOrubicin |
Dimenhydrinate Diphenhydramine |
DimenhyDRINATE DiphenhydrAMINE |
Dobutamine Dopamine |
DOBUTamine DOPamine |
Glipizide Glyburide |
GlipiZIDE GlyBURIDE |
Hydralazine Hydroxyzine |
HydrALAZINE HydrOXYzine |
Medroxyprogesterone |
MedroxyPROGESTERone |
Methylprednisolone Methyltestosterone |
MethylPREDNISolone MethylTESTOSTERone |
Mitoxantrone |
MitoXANTRONE |
Nicardipine Nifedipine |
NiCARdipine NIFEdipine |
Prednisone Prednisolone |
PredniSONE PrednisoLONE |
Sulfadiazine Sulfisoxazole |
SulfADIAZINE SulfiSOXAZOLE |
Tolazamide Tolbutamide |
TOLAZamide TOLBUTamide |
Vinblastine Vincristine |
VinBLAStine VinCRIStine |
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Medication Errors
FDA/Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
Last Updated: September 4, 2008
Originator: OTCOM/DIS |