International Nonproprietary Name
An International Nonproprietary Name (INN) is the official non-proprietary or generic name given to a pharmaceutical substance, as designated by the World Health Organization. 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, however these are less suited to common usage, being typically very long and unwieldy.
Example
| INN: | Paracetamol
|
| British Approved Name (BAN): | Paracetamol
|
| United States Approved Name (USAN): | Acetaminophen
|
| Other generic names: | N-acetyl-p-aminophenol, APAP, p-Acetamidophenol, Acetamol, ...
|
| Proprietary names: | Tylenol®, Panadol®, Panamax®, Calpol®, ...
|
| IUPAC name: | N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-acetamide
|
See also
