ASHP, USP Discuss Salt Nomenclature
9/5/2008
ASHP was invited to a meeting of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Nomenclature Expert Committee on February 26, 2008 to discuss patient safety concerns the Society voiced in a January 2007 letter concerning changes to Chapter <1121> Nomenclature.
The committee acknowledged ASHP’s concerns, but noted that inclusion of the salt currently leads to confusion among prescribers, which can also result in errors. USP will include the salt in the official drug monograph title when this information is deemed clinically important and encourages clinicians to submit information about such clinical scenarios. The committee also noted that the salt information will be retained in the full prescribing information and will be easier to locate in the new structured product labeling format. While ASHP strongly prefers the current nomenclature system over one that determines the need to include salt information on a case-by-case basis, the Society will work USP as it develops and implements plans for these changes that go into effect in 2013. Click here to see ASHP's original letter,
|