Authors

  1. Cohen, Michael R. RPH, MS, ScD

Article Content

The tube of Fougera's petrolatum ophthalmic ointment, Puralube, has a gold stripe across the top and can easily be confused with a tube of the company's erythromycin ophthalmic ointment, which has a yellow stripe at the top.

  
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In one incident, Puralube was accidentally stocked instead of erythromycin in a newborn/birthing center's automated dispensing cabinet. A nurse noticed the mistake and reported it to the pharmacy, and no one was injured. In another case, a pharmacy intern retrieved erythromycin ointment when filling an order for Puralube. A pharmacist noticed the error before the product was dispensed. In a third incident, neonatal nurses confused the two ointments, but another nurse discovered the errors before patients were given the wrong drug.

 

Fougera has been informed about the mix-ups.