FDA Issues Warning on Potential Breast Cancer Drug Mix-Up

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning that the use of the incorrect nonproprietary name for breast cancer drug Kadcyla (ado-trastuzumab emtansine) may cause confusion with Herceptin (trastuzumab), leading to medication errors.

The FDA reports that some third-party publications are incorrectly referring to Kadcyla as "trastuzumab emtansine," leaving out the “ado” prefix and hyphen. This may lead to confusion with Herceptin (trastuzumab) in both computerized order entry systems and written medication orders.


To prevent confusion, the FDA recommends using both the brand name Kadcyla and the nonproprietary name on all medication orders.  

More Articles on Medication Errors:

Study: Medication Error Rate Among Pediatric Cancer Patients Higher at Home Than in Hospital
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Children's of Alabama Reduces Chemotherapy Medication Errors by 50%

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