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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®, Doliprane®,...
IUPAC name: N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-acetamide

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Last updated: 05-07-2005 14:06:37
Last updated: 05-13-2005 07:56:04