Generic Name
Generic name or International Nonproprietary Name (INN) is the official nonproprietary or generic name given to a pharmaceutical substance, as designated by the World Health Organization (WHO). Drugs from the same therapeutic or chemical class are usually given names with the same stem. Stems are mostly placed word-finally, but in some cases word-initial stems are used. They are collected in a publication informally known as the Stem Book.
From the marketing perspective it is important that for one INN or Generic Name of the ingredient there may be plenty of Brand Names advertised by different manufacturers on different markets.
Comparison of naming conventions:
| 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, … |
| IUPAC name: | N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)acetamide |
