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About 100 new prescription or over-the-counter drugs come into the U.S. market every year.
Common abbreviations that cause medication errors include U (unit), mg (milligram), QD (every day), SC (subcutaneous), TIW (three times per week), D/C (discharge or discontinue), HS (at bedtime or "hours of sleep"), cc (cubic centimeters), and AU (each ear).
For pediatric patients, intravenous fluids are the most commonly cited products involved in medication errors that are reported to the USP.
Medication errors are more common among seriously ill patients than with those with minor conditions.
The newest statin drug, rosuvastatin, has been called a superstatin because it appears to reduce LDL cholesterol to a greater degree than the other approved statin drugs.