Our intent in writing the article was to introduce this admitted complex pharmacodynamic issue to the JADA readership. The terminology involving the cytochrome P450, or CYP, enzyme system is probably new to many practitioners and is now commonly used, particularly when new drugs are introduced to the market.
We agree that drug interactions are a serious concern. The complex interactions between drugs metabolized by the same CYP enzymes can potentially increase or decrease drug effects and can be potentially life-threatening.
Because there are multiple brand names for certain drugs, the decision to use generic names in the article was, in part, an effort to simplify the discussion. For example, the ADA Guide to Dental Therapeutics lists 10 brand names for formulations of erythromycin, and 26 brands for ibuprofen. The analgesic acetaminophen, which is used in many prescription drug combinations, has at least 100 brand names.
Obviously, a criticism would be made if only one brand name was used in the article. It was neither our intent nor JADA’s intent to promote one product over another. With so many drugs being listed in the article, we thought that the inclusion of multiple trade names would be confusing.
It was certainly our goal, and the goal of all contributors to JADA, to clearly address important and often complex topics in ways that are both practical and informative.
