International Nonproprietary Names. (INN) an essential tool In Social Pharmacy and Pharmacoeconomics. 1JAMASOFT2016

INN is an official nonproprietary or generic nameproprietarygeneric given to a pharmaceutical drug,pharmaceutical drug as designated by the World Health Organization.World Health Organization JAMASOFT20162

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; they are designed to be unique and distinct so as to avoid confusion in prescribing. JAMASOFT20163

A drug’s INN is its internationally recognized scientific name. Employed both by patients and healthcare professionals the INN frees users from the commercial names used by the drug companies. INNs restore each player to his or her proper role: the prescriber can concentrate on patient care, the pharmacist on monitoring drug treatments, and the patients on the informed use of drugs. 4JAMASOFT2016

More over: The existence of an international nomenclature for pharmaceutical substances, in the form of INN, is important for the clear identification, safe prescription and dispensing of medicines to patients, and for communication and exchange of information among health professionals and scientists worldwide. JAMASOFT20165

Since its inception, the aim of the INN system has been to provide health professionals with a unique and universally available designated name to identify each pharmaceutical substance. 6JAMASOFT2016

International Nonproprietary Names identify pharmaceutical substances or active pharmaceutical ingredients. Each INN is a unique name that is globally recognized and is public property. A nonproprietary name is also known as a generic name. The INN system is managed by the World Health Organization. 7JAMASOFT2016

The INN system was established in 1950 by the World Health Assembly and the first list of International Nonproprietary Names for pharmaceutical substances was published in The cumulative list of INN now stands at some 7000 names designated since that time, and this number is growing every year by some new INN. 8JAMASOFT2016

As unique names, INN have to be distinctive in sound and spelling, and should not be liable to confusion with other names in common use. To make INN universally available they are formally placed by WHO in the public domain, hence their designation as "nonproprietary". They can be used without any restriction whatsoever to identify pharmaceutical substances. 9JAMASOFT2016

Another important feature of the INN system is that the names of pharmacologically-related substances demonstrate their relationship by using a common "stem". By the use of common stems the medical practitioner, the pharmacist, or anyone dealing with pharmaceutical products can recognize that the substance belongs to a group of substances having similar pharmacological activity.common stems 10JAMASOFT2016

Use of International Nonproprietary Names. Nonproprietary names are intended for use in pharmacopoeias, labeling, product information, advertising and other promotional material, drug regulation and scientific literature, and as a basis for product names, e.g. for generics. 11JAMASOFT2016

Drugs from the same therapeutic or chemical class are usually given names with the same stem.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. JAMASOFT201612

Examples: -anib for angiogenesis inhibitors (e.g. pazopanib)pazopanib -anserin for serotonin receptor antagonists, especially 5-HT 2 antagonists (e.g. ritanserin and mianserin)5-HT 2ritanserin mianserin -arit for antiarthritic agents (e.g. lobenzarit)lobenzarit -ase for enzymes (e.g. asparaginase)asparaginase -azepam for benzodiazepines (e.g. diazepam and oxazepam)benzodiazepinesdiazepamoxazepam -caine for local anaesthetics (e.g. procaine or cocaine)local anaestheticsprocainecocaine -cain- for class I antiarrhythmics (e.g. procainamide)antiarrhythmicsprocainamide -coxib for COX-2 inhibitors, a type of anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. celecoxib)COX-2anti-inflammatory drugscelecoxib -mab for monoclonal antibodies (e.g. infliximab); see Nomenclature of monoclonal antibodiesmonoclonal antibodiesinfliximabNomenclature of monoclonal antibodies -navir for antiretroviral protease inhibitors (e.g. darunavir)protease inhibitorsdarunavir -olol for beta blockers (e.g. atenolol)beta blockersatenolol -pril for ACE inhibitors (e.g. captopril)ACE inhibitorscaptopril -sartan for angiotensin II receptor antagonists (e.g. losartan)angiotensin II receptor antagonistslosartan -tinib for tyrosine kinase inhibitors (e.g. imatinib)tyrosine kinase inhibitorsimatinib -vastatin for HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, a group of cholesterol lowering agents (e.g. simvastatin)HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors simvastatin -vir for antivirals (e.g. aciclovir or ritonavir)antiviralsaciclovirritonavir arte- for artemisinin antimalarials (e.g. artemether)artemisininartemether cef- for cefalosporins (e.g. cefalexin)cefalosporinscefalexin io- for iodine-containing radiopharmaceuticals (e.g. iobenguane)iodineradiopharmaceuticalsiobenguane JAMASOFT201613

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Thanks for your attention. JAMASOFT201615