Assessment of Look-Alike, Sound-Alike Similarities Among Brand Names of Tablets and Capsules: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Thailand

ABSTRACT

Background: Look-Alike, Sound-Alike (LASA) drugs pose significant risks to patient safety due to potential medication errors, primarily from confusion over drug names. Such issues are of global concern and are pervasive across healthcare settings. Objective: This study evaluated the similarity between the registered brand names of medication, specifically focusing on tablets and capsules that are commercially accessible in Thailand. Methods: This research analyzed secondary data from Thailand’s Bureau of Drug Administration, focusing on tablets and capsules drugs. An orthographic analysis of the 18,108 registered items (as of January 2020) was performed, and similarities and differences were analyzed using Microsoft Excel. Attributes such as registration number, manufacturer details, active ingredients, dosage forms, and strength were considered when categorizing similar names. Results: Upon analyzing 18,108 registered tablets and capsules, four groups emerged from pairwise brand name similarity analysis: 1. Matching brand names from one pharmaceutical company with identical active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) but multiple registration numbers (66.47%). 2. Matching brand names from various pharmaceutical companies with the same active ingredients (33.03%). 3. Matching brand names from different pharmaceutical companies with different active ingredients (0.39%). 4. Matching brand names from the same pharmaceutical company with different active ingredients (0.11%). The “Tall Man Letter” principle was leveraged to examine potential resemblances among 18,108 Thai pharmaceutical brand names. Twelve terms exhibited notable similarities, with “AMINE,” “HYDRO,” and “PREDNIS” appearing most frequently. Conclusion: These results underscore the prevalence of LASA issues in drug brand names, potentially leading to confusion and errors in medication use, and highlight the need for system improvements to enhance patient safety.

KEYWORDS

• look-alike
• sound-alike
• lasa
• brand names
• matching
• similarity
• thailand

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• DOI10.18549/PharmPract.2024.3.2955Copy

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