US FDA warns on name confusion for Brintellix and Brilinta

The US Food and Drug Administration is warning health care professionals and patients that reports of confusion between the antidepressant Brintellix (vortioxetine) and anti-blood clotting medication Brilinta (ticagrelor) have resulted in the wrong medication being prescribed or dispensed.

The FDA determined that the main reason for the confusion between these two medications is the similarity of their brand (proprietary) names. None of the reports indicates that a patient ingested the wrong medication; however, reports of prescribing and dispensing errors continue, the agency noted.

Brintellix, from Danish CNS drug specialist Lundbeck (LUN: CO), is used to treat a certain type of depression called major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults. It is in a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Brilinta, from Anglo-Swedish pharma major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN), is an antiplatelet, anti-blood clotting medication used to lower the risk of having another heart attack, or dying from a heart problem after a heart attack or severe chest pain.