8/3/2019 Naming Medicines - AMA - Press Release
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Urgent call to change drug labelling
EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01am Wednesday 7 December 2011
Medical experts say the prominence given to brand names on
medicine labels is confusingparticularly to consumers, but also to
doctors, and increases the risk of duplicate prescriptions
andoverdose, in an article in the December issue of the Medical
Journal of Australia.
In the article, What's in a name? Brand name confusion and
generic medicines, Professor Shane
Carney and authors have called for an urgent review of medicine
labelling in Australia and NewZealand to ease the problem. They
said the active ingredients of medicines (paracetamol forexample)
should be displayed more prominently and in a larger font than the
brand name.
Brand confusion is a patient safety and a quality use of
medicines concern, which will only worsenwith time if no action is
taken, the authors wrote.
The risk of medication errors has escalated along with the
proliferation of generic medicines andthe growing practice of brand
substitution by pharmacists, according to the article. The
authorssaid 40% of patients aged over 70 years now receive more
than five medications, making themmore vulnerable.
They gave the example of antihypertensive medications called ACE
inhibitors. They said there are8 different types of these in
Australia and 81 brands have been approved for sale.
Adding to the problem, brand names often have no relationship to
the active ingredient or thecondition being treated.
The authors said that though current labelling guidelines call
for the active ingredient of a drug tobe displayed with equal or
greater prominence than the brand name, these guidelines
arevoluntary and industry compliance has been low.
We call on the responsible authorities, as a matter of urgency,
to amend Australian and NewZealand drug labelling laws to ensure
the active ingredient or generic name is displayed moreprominently
and in a larger font than the brand name on all pharmaceutical
labels, whetherprescribed or over-the-counter, they wrote.
They say to further distinguish between brand and generic names
and aid consumer recognition,the font and colours used for generic
names should be unique and comparable for all medicines.
The Medical Journal of Australiais a publication of the
Australian Medical Association.
The statements or opinions that are expressed in the MJA reflect
the views of the authors and do not represent the official policy
of the AMA unlessthat is so stated.
CONTACTS: Professor Shane Carney 0411 120 946
