Responding to the recent U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) Medmarx report that reveals errors linked to drug name confusion, Epocrates will include clarification for drugs that look and/or sound alike in its popular mobile and online products through an indication of use for the prescription. Prior to the release of the Medmarx report, Epocrates began working with USP to incorporate warnings for the more than 3,100 drug pairs in its databases that look alike and sound alike that the USP identified as causing confusion. Currently 25% of physicians in this country use Epocrates software to help reduce drug errors before prescribing. The Epocrates products provide accurate dosing and identify potential interactions and side effects.

According to Medmarx, the nation's largest database of medication errors, look-alike and sound-alike drugs are among the main causes of errors. Between 2003 and 2006 more than 1,400 different drugs were involved in errors linked to similar brand and/or generic names. Most notably, each of the top 10 most prescribed drugs is commonly confused with at least one other drug.