FDA Approves Name Change for Heartburn Drug Kapidex Change to Dexilant is part of FDA effort to prevent medication errors

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a name change for the heartburn drug Kapidex (dexlansoprazole) to avoid confusion with two other medications – Casodex and Kadian. Effective in late April 2010, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America Inc. will market Kapidex under the new name Dexilant.

Since Kapidex was approved in January 2009, there have been reports of dispensing errors because of confusion with the drugs Casodex (bicalutamide) and Kadian (morphine sulfate), which have very different uses from Kapidex and from each other.