Two similarly named drugs causing errors

NEW YORK – The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday some doctors and pharmacies are getting confused by the similar names of an antidepressant and a blood-thinning medicine.

The FDA said it’s not aware of any patients who took the wrong drug, but the agency said it has received 50 reports of medication errors, including cases where doctors prescribed the wrong drug or pharmacies dispensed the wrong one. The two medications are Brintellix, an antidepressant, and Brilinta, a blood-thinning medication used to prevent death after a heart attack or severe chest pain or to prevent a second heart attack.

The agency said it has been receiving reports of errors since Brintellix was approved in September 2013. Both drugs are tablets with the letter T stamped on them, and in some cases both are yellow.

The agency is suggesting doctors write out the generic name of the drug and the ailment for which it’s being prescribed. Brintellix, an antidepressant, is also known as vortioxetine. It’s sold by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, which reported $42 million in revenue from Brintellix in its latest quarter.

Brilinta, a blood thinner, is also called ticagrelor. Maker AstraZeneca PLC said second-quarter U.S. sales of the drug totaled $101 million.

Companies propose names for drugs before they are approved. Those are reviewed by the FDA’s Division of Medication Error Prevention and Analysis.