Pharmacy bulletin [May 1966]

              Pharmacy Hours - Open Daily
8:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
"SERVICE is our
Most Important Product"
Vol. I  Ko, 2
The Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, Greensboro, N„ C.
May, 1966"
DRUG NOMENCLATURE - DILEMMA -
With the complexity of drugs there is the increase in the possibility for errors.  Frequently errors are the result of a single letter or number in the name which is added to
designate a different strength, different form, or different ingredients.
Recently two companies duplicated three products each representing combinations of two
existing products; Perphenazine (Trilafon®-Schering Corp.) and Amitriptyline HC.1 (Elavil®-
MSD) which vividly portrays this complexity.
Merck Sharp & Dohme
Triavil® 2-25, Tablets
Triavil® ^-10, Tablets
Triavil® kr25,  Tablets
Sphering Corporation
Etrafon® Tablets ~
Etrafon®. A Tablets
Etrafon® Forte Tablets
On one hand, MSD uses nuxbers as part of drug name to designate milligram strength
whereas Schering uses letter 'A' and word :Forte' to designate different strengths.
In the case of G, D, Searle & Co. the letter 'A: in Aldactone-A® and Aldactazide-A®
represents a new process whereby the powder size is micronized and results in decreased
dose of the old Aldactone® 100 mg. to Aldactone-A® (25 mg.)„  In Thiosulfil-A® and Thio-
sulfil-A® Forte the letter "A'   represents another ingredient (Phenazopyridine) or the
!AZ0! group that is also found in Azo-Gantrisin® - (Roche Lab.)
The term 'Forte' implies strength - the stronger - becomes quite confusing.  In case
of Parafon Forte® (McNeil Lao.) the Parafon® portion is doubled but the Tylenol® is not;
•while in Eobinul Forte® (A.H. Robins Co.) the strength is doubled; with Os-Cal Forte®
(Marion Labs.) term has nothing to do with doubling the strength of one ingredient,
rather it means multiple vitamins have been added to OS-CAL® formula.
With time extended or release forms of medication often letters are assigned to the
name to indicate this. Examples:
Appetrol S.R.®(Sustained Released)      Novahistine L.P„® (Long Acting Principle)
Butibel R. A.®(Repeat Action) Peritrate S.A.® (Sustained Action)
DBI-TD® (Time Disintegrating) Probanthine P.A.® (Prolonged Action)
Equanil L.A.® (Long Action)
It therefore behooves everyone concerned with drugs and drug therapy to take every
precaution in avoiding the possibility of errors brought about by the complexity of
drug name s.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE:
Match Column A with
B
1, War far in—-  ■€   a •
2, Desipramine_     __b.
3, Acetaminophen jr     e.
k.  Meperidine- _     _d.
5. Ergonovine-       e.
Trimeprazine  4^  f.
Phentolamine      g.
Hyaluronidase >*  h.
i,
j.
k.
6,
7.
9. Hydroxyzine HC1    ;
10.Perphenazine
~dT
Atarax®
Demerol®
Pertofrane®
Trilafon®
Coumadin®
Ergotrate®
Temaril®
Wydase®
Norpramine®
Regitine®
Tylenol®
NEW ADDITION TO STOCK
1. Pediatric Suture Removing Dressing Set: A
T+-1/2" straight and sharp-pointed iris scissor replaces the regular scissor on removing set.  Two such sets are kept on 6000
Nursing Division as floor stock,
2" New Dos age _j?orm; Parke Davis has made available Sterile Sodium Diphenylhydantoin USP
(Dilantin®) in 100 mg, vial-dry powder with
diluent - similar to the 250 mg. unit.
3- Expiration date extended: FDA has given approval to Parke Davis & Co. to extend expiration dating of reconstituted Tuberculin
PPD from 3 days to 30 days. New PPD will be
in Pharmacy stock on all reorders,