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With tens of thousands of brand name and generic drugs currently on the market, the potential for medication error due to confusing drug name is significant. In Korea, every generic drug can have own brand name. This could lead medication errors due to similarities between generic names and brand names or between brand names and brand names. In this study, we searched examples of drug name pairs presumed to have potential for medication errors related with confusing drug name and tried to suggest the strategies for the prevention of medication errors. We surveyed the Samsung Medical Center Drug Formulary(SMC Formulary) and National Registered Drug Formulary to find out the examples of drug name pairs that have phonetic similarities. And we compared current drug name nomenclature process of Korea with other countries, mainly focusing on performing the risk assessment as a part of drug naming. Among 818 oral drugs in SMC Formulary, there were 12 pairs of sound-alike drug between generic names and brand names and 20 pairs between brand names and brand names. 23 pairs(71.9%) of them were identified as pair of different therapeutic category. For National Registered Drug Formulary, We also surveyed similarity of selected 4400 subject(42.7% of oral drugs registered) and found that 14 similar pairs of generic name and brand name and 57 pairs of brand names. Of this, 66 pairs(93.0%) were pair of different therapeutic category. On the contrary to our situation, generic drug cannot have own brand name in USA and Japan. It must be made up of generic name and company name. Around the drug name selection process, those countries have intervention process by regulatory authorities with regards to prevent potential medication errors from confusing drug name and safety concern. To reduce medication errors stemming from sound-alike drug name, healthcare providers need to share the information about the drug names which have medication error potential and past cases of those errors. And to make safe drug use environment, it is highly recommended for regulatory authorities to develop intervention process in drug naming practices and simplify the brand name system of generic drugs instead of allowing own brand name to them.
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