The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a name change for the heartburn drug Kapidex (dexlansoprazole) to avoid confusion with two other medications—Casodex and Kadian. Effective in late April 2010, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America Inc. will market Kapidex under the new name Dexilant™.
Since Kapidex was approved in January 2009, there have been reports of dispensing errors because of confusion with the drugs Casodex® (bicalutamide) and Kadian® (morphine sulfate), which have very different uses from Kapidex and from each other. Kapidex is a proton pump inhibitor used to treat heartburn and other conditions by reducing the amount of acid produced in the stomach. Casodex, marketed by AstraZeneca, is used to treat men with advanced prostate cancer. Kadian, distributed by Actavis Kadian LLC, is an opioid analgesic used to treat pain.
The FDA evaluates new drug names before a product is approved to minimize confusion with existing drugs. Sometimes, however, unexpected name confusions can occur once the product goes to market.
These efforts are part of the agency’s Safe Use Initiative, which was launched in November 2009. The goal of this initiative is to reduce preventable medical errors through collaboration with public and private institutions.
There will be no changes made to Kapidex other than its name. Healthcare professionals and other individuals responsible for ordering, stocking, and billing for the product should be aware that Dexilant will have a new National Drug Code (NDC) number associated with the product.