The Rx heartburn med Kapidex (dexlansoprazole) will now be called Dexilant

The Rx heartburn med Kapidex (dexlansoprazole) will now be called Dexilant...after a run of mix-ups due to confusion with the brand name.
This won't be the first time a drug's brand name is changed. The cholesterol drug Lovaza used to be Omacor...the Alzheimer's med Razadyne was first called Reminyl...and Prilosec used to be Losec.
This usually happens when two drugs have similar names...like Omacor and Amicar...Reminyl and Amaryl...or Losec and Lasix.
In the case of Kapidex, mix-ups are occurring with the cancer drug Casodex (bicalutamide)...the pain med Kadian (morphine)...and even Capadex, a propoxyphene combo available in some other countries.
Similar strengths add to the confusion. Kapidex and Kadian come as 30 mg and 60 mg caps...and Casodex's 50 mg strength isn't far away.
And mix-ups can lead to serious problems. For example, taking Kadian instead of Kapidex could lead to a morphine overdose and death.
The Kapidex name change to Dexilant takes effect this month. The old and new products will look identical.
Assure pharmacy staff and patients that they ARE identical...

only the name and NDCs will change.
Keep an eye on inventory and ordering during the transition. Wholesalers will try to get rid of current Kapidex stock...and both product names may come in your order.
Use the new Dexilant NDC numbers when ordering...the Kapidex NDCs will eventually become obsolete.
Attach a note to Dexilant Rxs alerting patients to the change.
Stay alert for look-alike, sound-alike mix-ups with other meds...

Topamax and Toprol XL...Azilect and Aricept...Mucinex and Mucomyst.
To be safe, ask the patient what medication they're expecting, and when appropriate find out what the drug is intended to treat.
Get a copy of our PTL Chart, Look-alike, Sound-alike Medications, for your pharmacy...to help staff watch out for other culprits.