Potential risk for medication error between Kadcyla® (trastuzumab emtansine) and Herceptin® (trastuzumab) resulting from name confusion

Roche would like to alert healthcare professionals of the potential risk for medication error due to similarity in the non-proprietary names of Kadcyla® (trastuzumab emtansine) and another cancer medicine, Herceptin® (trastuzumab). The packaging for Kadcyla® and Herceptin® has been differentiated by the use of different colours. The package insert (PI) of Kadcyla® already provides warnings with respect to the potential for medication error, whereas the PI for Herceptin® is undergoing enhancement to include this warning. Healthcare professionals are advised to note the difference between Kadcyla® (trastuzumab emtansine) and Herceptin (trastuzumab), and to use both the brand name (Kadcyla®) and its full non-proprietary name (trastuzumab emtansine) when prescribing, preparing the infusion solution and administering the medicine to patients.
Healthcare professional, Therapeutic Products
Published:

Dear Healthcare Professional Letters

12 Dec 2019

Only abstracts of the Dear Healthcare Professional Letters (DHCPL) are provided on this website. Details of the letters can be found on the MOH Alert System, which is accessible via the Health Professionals Portal (HPP). HPP is a one-stop portal for all healthcare professionals in Singapore. Dentists, medical doctors and pharmacists may access HPP at https://www.hpp.moh.gov.sg/, and follow the procedures below to access the MOH Alert system.

Step 1: Scroll down to the bottom navigation panel of the HPP web page. Under the Healthcare Professionals section, expand the dropdown option for ‘Healthcare Professional Portal’ and select your profession. You will be redirected to the specific HPP web page to log in.

Step 2: Click on the Restricted Content icon on the left panel of the web page and log in via SingPass.

Step 3: Click on the MOH Alert icon under the ‘Applications’ section.

Step 4: Click on the Drug Alert tab to view the DHCPLs.