From the August 2009 issue

In our July 2009 newsletter, we mentioned mix-ups between KAPIDEX (dexlansoprazole) and CASODEX (bicalutamide). After the Safety Brief was published, we heard from a pharmacist who received a prescription from a doctor’s office via telephone for Kapidex. The office nurse had misspelled the drug as “Capadex,” probably because she heard the drug name pronounced by the doctor then transcribed it phonetically. When the pharmacist tried to enter the medication into the pharmacy computer, he could not find “Capadex.” The pharmacist queried others in the pharmacy about whether the prescribed drug was Casodex. Meanwhile, one of the pharmacists decided to do a Google search on “Capadex” to see if it was an actual product. He saw many listings for “Capadex” as well as a listing for Kapidex. “Capadex,” however, is a combination of acetaminophen and propoxyphene, similar to DARVOCET, but not available in the US. It is, however, available in Australia and New Zealand and online. At least one site advertises that no original prescription is needed. We’ve let FDA know about this new issue associated with the brand name Kapidex. Given that the name is being confused with Casodex and could also lead to dangerous confusion with the foreign product Capadex, this might be a case where a name change is appropriate.