Cephawhatchamacallums

To the Editor: The growing list of cephalosporin antibiotics continues to frustrate practitioners in their attempts to prescribe these agents rationally. Subtle differences in spectrum of activity or pharmacokinetic properties are a major source of confusion. An additional source of confusion is the similarity in the spellings of generic names, particularly of third-generation cephalosporins. So similar are their spellings that they are frequently referred to as "cephawhatchamacallums" by physicians and pharmacists, and often it is the pharmacy's best guess that determines which drug the patient receives. Over the past two years, our team of physicians and clinical pharmacists that reviews . . . No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.