International Nonproprietary Name
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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). 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. 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.
[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, and others |
| IUPAC name: | N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-acetamide |
