International Nonproprietary Name
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An International Nonproprietary Name (INN; also known as rINN, for recommended International Nonproprietary Name or pINN for proposed International Nonproprietary Name) is the official non-proprietary or generic name given to a pharmaceutical substance, as designated by the World Health Organization (WHO)[citation needed]. The plethora of named proprietary preparations containing a given substance can lead to confusion about the identity of the active ingredient. INNs facilitate communication by providing a standard name for each substance. A similar role is played in chemistry by IUPAC names, though those are less suited to common usage, being typically very long and unwieldy. WHO issues INN names in English, Latin, French, Russian, and Spanish; Arabic and Chinese versions, although not included in the original scheme, are now also being issued.
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[edit] Rules for name changes
INN names are designed to be unique and distinct so as to avoid confusion in prescribing.
Examples of modifications that may be made to British approved names
- e is used instead of ae or oe
- i is used instead of y
- c is used instead of ch
- f is used instead of ph
- t is used instead of th
[edit] Example
| INN: | paracetamol |
| British Approved Name (BAN): | paracetamol |
| United States Adopted Name (USAN): | acetaminophen |
| Other generic names: | n-acetyl-p-aminophenol, APAP, p-acetamidophenol, acetamol, ... |
| Proprietary names: | Tylenol, Panadol, Panamax, Perdolan, Calpol, Doliprane, Tachipirina, Ben-u-ron, Atasol, Adol and others |
| IUPAC name: | N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-acetamide |
