Trademark Issues In The Pharmaceutical Industry: Look-Alike And Sound-Alike Risks
- IJLLR Journal
- 10 hours ago
- 2 min read
Keerthana N, LLM, Christ (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru
ABSTRACT
Medication safety is the basic principle of the healthcare system; however, errors caused by look-alike and sound-alike (LASA) drugs have been a continuous occurrence all over the world and have had a negative impact on patient safety. A LASA error is one in which drugs with similar packaging, labelling, or phonetic characteristics are mixed, and hence, the wrong prescription, dispensing, or administration is done. Such errors make a big contribution to the main source of preventable adverse drug events, and they endanger patients who can suffer from therapeutic failure or even severe morbidity and mortality. The coming complexity in the pharmaceutical markets, together with the high volume of drugs, the increase in the number of brands and the use of language-specific naming conventions for drugs, are the factors that result in a raised possibility of the occurrence of such errors. The existing research depicts the causes of incidents related to LASA being very diverse, and the major factors are human cognitive limitations, lack of regulatory oversight, insufficient labelling standards, and gaps in awareness among healthcare providers. One of the strategies for eliminating LASA errors is the use of technological aids; for example, electronic prescribing can be used with the help of computer software, and one can refer to a drug knowledge base for required drug details. Such measures as staff training, double-check systems, and risk-based labelling also form part of the strategies. Unfortunately, the extent of the problem still remains due to the presence of variations in the degree of implementation of activities between different countries and even within them, the limited awareness in remote areas, and the changes in drug markets. This paper aims to comprehensively describe the LASA medical error with special emphasis on such aspects as causes, consequences, prevention strategies, and regulatory framework. The study tries to achieve that by a critical review of the available literature and by taking examples from India and international practice to enlighten policymakers, healthcare professionals, and the pharmaceutical industry with actionable guidelines. To sum it up, the research, among other things, points out that the common global standards, more comprehensive awareness programs and the use of technology as a multi-faceted solution to successfully address LASA challenges are prerequisites for patient safety.
Keywords: LASA Drugs, Medication Errors, Patient Safety, Pharmaceutical Regulation, Drug Labelling.
