Consumer Experiences of Mispurchase Associated with Drug Names

Several studies suggest that confusable brand names are the most common reason for the mispurchase of medicinal products, accounting for a quarter (25%) of all errors made in the administration of medicinal products. The study aims to investigate the frequency of mistakes associated with the naming of medicinal products. The research shows that consumers tend to confuse medicinal products with the same and different dosage forms. In 65.3% of cases, mistakes are made when choosing between two brand names with the same administration method. The detected mistakes are classified by criticality according to the severity of their consequences. The analysis shows that 79.07% of mispurchases due to confusable brand names are marked by a high criticality of consequences, as consumers confuse medicinal products belonging to different pharmacological groups. Patients do not receive the necessary treatment and end up taking drugs that are not indicated for them, which is especially dangerous for chronic patients. In 5.81% of cases, consumers mix up the brand names of medicinal products and dietary supplements or medical devices or confuse dietary supplements. In 15.12% of cases, consumers confuse analogous medicinal products with the same active substance.