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. 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. Pharmacology (in Greek: pharmacon is drug, and logos is science) is the study of how chemical substances interfere with living systems. ... Look up Substance on Wiktionary, the free dictionary * in philosophy, Substance is that element of an object without which it would not exist. ... Jump to: navigation, search The WHO flag: similar to the flag of the United Nations, augmented with the symbolic staff and serpent of Asklepios, Greek god of medicine and healing. ... Chemistry (in Greek: χημεία) is the science of matter that deals with the composition, structure, and properties of substances and with the transformations that they undergo. ... IUPAC nomenclature is a systematic way of naming organic chemical compounds. ...

Example

Jump to: navigation, search Paracetamol (INN) or acetaminophen (USAN) is a popular analgesic and antipyretic drug that is used for the relief of fever, headaches, and other minor aches and pains. ... A British Approved Name (BAN) is the official non-proprietary or generic name given to a pharmaceutical substance, as defined in the British Pharmacopoeia (BP). ... A United States Approved Name (USAN) is the official non-proprietary or generic name given to a pharmaceutical substance, as defined in the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). ... IUPAC nomenclature is a systematic way of naming organic chemical compounds. ... This prefix in chemical nomenclature indicates the presence of a hydroxyl functional group (-OH). ... In chemistry, the phenyl group or phenyl ring (often abbreviated as -Ph) is the functional group with the formula -C6H5 Picture where the six carbon atoms are arranged in a cyclic manner. ...

See also

• World Health Organization
• IUPAC nomenclature

Jump to: navigation, search The WHO flag: similar to the flag of the United Nations, augmented with the symbolic staff and serpent of Asklepios, Greek god of medicine and healing. ... IUPAC nomenclature is a systematic way of naming organic chemical compounds as recommended by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). ...

External links

• INN information from the WHO