I couldn't sleep at all. I thought I was dying. What may have saved his life was a visit from a friend who also took Norvasc and told Anderson he had the wrong drug. The experience changed Anderson's approach to taking medicine and dealing with pharmacists. And I read them to make sure they're right.
Pharmaceutical companies spend a lot of money selecting and test-marketing drug names.
But some experts say the companies pay far less attention to making sure names won't be confused. Potential names could be screened by a panel of pharmacists, doctors, and nurses, Cohen says. So the FDA should require it. The drug was originally to be called Celebra. But drug maker Searle changed the name at the urging of the FDA, to avoid confusion with the antidepressant, Celexa.