By Any Other Name: Ambiguity in Marketing Proprietary Anti-Infective Agents

Berger, Stephen A.

Division of Geographic Medicine, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel

Reprints or correspondence: Dr. Stephen A. Berger, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, 6 Weitzman St., Tel Aviv 64239, Israel([email protected]).

Received 23 August 2006; accepted 19 September 2006

Clinical Infectious Diseases 44(1):p 65-68, January 1, 2007. | DOI: 10.1086/509929

In 55 instances, a single proprietary (trade) name has been used to market ≤ 2 distinct generic anti-infective agents. In some cases, one trade name represents 2 different drugs in the same country—or even marketed by the same manufacturer. Some unrelated drugs and poisonous substances are also manufactured under trade names assigned to anti-infectives. The use of proprietary names in the prescribing of anti-infective drugs could result in considerable confusion or harm to patients.