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FDA alerts pharmacists to risperidone, ropinirole mix-ups
Publish date: Jun 23, 2011

FDA announced reports of medication errors involving risperidone (Risperdal, Johnson & Johnson) and ropinirole (Requip, GlaxoSmithKline), noting that in some cases, patients who took the wrong medication needed to be hospitalized, according to a Medication Safety Announcement released June 13.

Risperidone is an antipsychotic medication used to treat mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and irritability associated with autistic disorder. Ropinirole is a dopamine agonist for treating Parkinson’s disease and restless legs syndrome, the announcement noted.

More than 200 wrong drug medication errors obtained from FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System database and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices were evaluated. In 16 cases, patients had serious adverse events, including 5 cases in which the patients required hospitalization.

http://www.modernmedicine.com/modern....jsp?id=728166