Gp not using generic name for levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone

About Parkinson's and health Treatments and therapies
1

i think it is a problem that the generic name for tablets combining levodopa, carbidopa, and entacapone basically requires writing all that out. i’m not sure of the exact correct generic name, but it is something like “levodopa xxx mg with carbidopa yyy mg and entacapone 200 mg”. so my gp just prescribes “stanek” which is easier to remember. then, if stanek is unavailable, the pharmacy is unable to substitute either sastravi or stalevo, the names of the other two presentations of the exact same medicine. this is really annoying.

it would be nice if there was a short generic name for the combination, like co-careldopa is the generic name for the combination of levodopa and carbidopa. just to generate discussion, i suggest “tri-entcareldopa” with the tri meaning a combination of 3 drugs and ent, car, and L-dopa representing each of the three drugs.

comments?

2

Indeed, but cynics would suggest it’s in the drug companies interests to have hard to spell generic names and easy to remember company names.

However now it’s all online prescribing it shouldn’t matter anymore.

3

It may well be in the drug companies interests to have difficult generic names but they have no control over that.