This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citing articles on ISI (3)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

We endorse the advice given by Schwab et al¹ to prescribe by International Nonproprietary Name (INN) whenever possible.² However, just as drugs given for the right reasons can have unintended adverse effects, so too can interventions designed to reduce one risk give rise to another. The use of brand names serves to distinguish products with the same active ingredient but different formulation or indication. Confusion over the formulation can have serious clinical consequences when calcium antagonists are prescribed. The British National Formulary states with regard to preparations of diltiazem, "Different versions of modified-release preparations may not have the same clinical effect. To avoid confusion between these different formulations of diltiazem, prescribers should specify the brand to be dispensed."³ A hospital consultant wrote to a family physician suggesting that he prescribe for his patient, an 82-year-old man, diltiazem LA (long acting), 300 mg. The family physician could not find this formulation . . . [Full Text of this Article]