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Drug names
Valproate confusion
From Ms L. M. Durke, MRPharmS
Drug name confusion is a problem that occurs with regularity and afflicts
all health professions. We have recently had several instances of confusion
over valproate products, namely sodium valproate and valproic acid, by
both the pharmacy and the nursing profession. This confusion has not been
helped by the fact that the British National Formulary indexes both the
products together as "valproate". Perhaps the BNF would reconsider its
indexing of these products to help clarify the difference between them?
Such a move may help to prevent a serious error from occurring.
Lesley Durke
Senior Pharmacist, Medicines Information and Risk Management
Glan Clwyd Hospital
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DINESH MEHTA, executive editor,
British National Formulary, replies:
The BNF index collects together all the information
about valproate (whether it is present as sodium valproate, semisodium
valproate or as valproic acid). The index also includes pointers
from sodium valproate and valproic acid to this entry. After all,
valproate is generally regarded as the active moiety in each of
the three compounds. The collection of related entries in one place
is standard indexing practice. Such an approach is important because
one cannot assume that the user will know the exact name of the
salt. The current entry allows readers to identify and pursue the
different aspects of information on valproate.
Prompted by Ms Durke's concerns, we have planned
to make one or two adjustments to the valproate entry which should
reduce the possibility of the reader being led to an inappropriate
page.
If Ms Durke were to provide the BNF with more
details of how the BNF entry added to the confusion over the valproate
salt, we would be only too happy to review the presentation. The
BNF is fully committed to preventing medicine-related errors. To
this end, it is scrupulous about using approved names throughout
the book. It also includes advice to users on using non-proprietary
titles and warns that "non-proprietary titles should not be invented
for the purposes of prescribing generically since this can lead
to confusion". |
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