"Takeda's first priority is patient safety, which is why we initiated a widespread communications campaign to inform healthcare professionals and pharmacists as soon as we learned about the potential for confusion," said Robert Spanheimer, M.D., vice president of medical and scientific affairs at Takeda. "Recently, through discussions with the FDA, we agreed that the best way to minimize these dispensing errors was to change the trade name of dexlansoprazole to DEXILANT."

Takeda is currently working with the FDA to make this change and will conduct an extensive communications campaign to alert both patients and healthcare professionals of DEXILANT. Individuals and healthcare professionals who have questions about this name change should contact Takeda at 1-877-TAKEDA-7.  

"New medication names are extensively screened by Takeda prior to adoption to minimize the possibility of confusion once a drug is on the market. The FDA also conducts independent research to further minimize the risk of name confusion prior to acceptance and approval of a product brand name," said Dean Sundberg, senior vice president of regulatory affairs at Takeda. "Once marketed, however, instances of name confusion occasionally emerge."

Errors involving DEXILANT or any other products should be reported to the FDA MedWatch program online at www.fda/medwatch.

SOURCE Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.