FDA Warns of Wrong Medication Errors When Taking Durezol and Durasal
There are millions of medications in circulation on the U.S. drug market. It makes sense, then, that the FDA makes an effort to rename drugs that could possibly confused with another medication currently available in pharmacies.
However, sometimes a new drug will fall through the cracks, creating yet another opportunity for sound-alike medication errors.
The FDA recently released an alert to pharmacists and doctors warning them of potential injury when prescribing the eye medicine Durezol and the topical wart remover Durasal. There has been at least one report of serious injury due to confusion of the two medications, and several other mistakes were reported but caught before they caused injury.
The FDA regularly screens pharmaceutical names as part of the drug approval process. The problem occurred with Durasal because the salicylic acid treatment is an unapproved product, and did not undergo FDA’s regular screening process. The potential for name confusion was overlooked, with the added coincidence that Durasal was put on the market shortly after Durezol received FDA approval.
There were many red flags surrounding the two medications before the FDA released an official warning. The FDA received several complaints from health care providers and patients regarding the similarity between Durezol and Durasal, and the number of near misses likely contributed to the FDA’s alert.
If you think you have been the victim of a wrong medication error, you should:
Visit your doctor to receive any corrective treatment
Alert the pharmacy that gave you the medication
Report the mistake to the FDA’s MedWatch
Contact a board-certified drug injury attorney for your legal options
As trusted pharmacy error attorneys, we know that these types of errors are all too common. Although there are numerous systems in place to prevent them, it seems inevitable that pharmacists and staff will simply overlook safety protocols when it comes to name-checking prescriptions, often resulting in serious patient side-effects.
If you would like to receive a free consultation on your wrong medication lawsuit, call Kennedy Hodges at 888-526-7616 today. You can also receive a FREE copy of our book, How to Make Pharmacies Pay for Injuries Caused by Medication Errors, by filling out the contact form on this page.
