International non-proprietary name

The International Nonproprietary Name ( INN , abbreviation of English International Nonproprietary Name ) is that of the World Health Organization awarded, public domain name for a drug substance . Other names for it are also generic name ( English Generic Name ) or DCI (from Latin denominatio communis internationalis ).

meaning

The INN enables healthcare professionals from around the world to easily chat about drugs that often have different brand names in different countries. Since these names are in the public domain , there are no restrictions on their use in literature or research . Doctors, pharmacists and patients can find their way around a large number of similar preparations without having to deal with lengthy and cumbersome IUPAC names. It should be noted that some endings vary from country to country because they are adapted to the language. In German, an “e” is often dropped at the end because it usually signals the plural. Generic manufacturers often use the INN, usually with the addition of the company name , as the trade name for their drug.

Naming

When choosing the name, the discoverer of the substance has the right to propose. This suggestion is usually followed. However, care is taken to ensure that the name is not protected by trademark law, not even in part , or that the trademark rights of others are affected. Furthermore, various prefixes and suffixes are used to show the affiliation to a certain group, either from a chemical-structural point of view or based on the mode of action. Examples:

• -azepam for diazepam derivatives
• -alol, -olol for blockers of the beta-receptors (e.g. atenolol , sotalol )
• -caine ( Eng . -cain ) for local anesthetics
• Cef- for cephalosporins
• -cillin for antibiotic derivatives of 6-aminopenicillanic acid (e.g. penicillin , oxacillin )
• -coxib for COX-2 inhibitors (e.g. celecoxib )
• -dipine for calcium antagonists of the dihydropyridine type (e.g. nifedipine )
• -mab for monoclonal antibodies , English m onoclonal a nti b ody , see nomenclature of monoclonal antibodies (e.g. infliximab )
• -oxetine for antidepressants from the group of serotonin and / or norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors , fluoxetine derivatives
• -pramin or -triptyline for tricyclic antidepressants of the imipramine or amitriptyline type
• -pril as an ending for ACE inhibitors (e.g. captopril )
• -profen for arylpropionic acid analgesics (e.g. ibuprofen )
• -sartan for non-peptide AT ₁ antagonists or "sartans" (e.g. valsartan )
• Sulfa- for sulfonamides
• -tinib for tyrosine kinase inhibitors (e.g. imatinib )
• -vastatin inhibitors of cholesterol synthase or statins (e.g. simvastatin )

The definition of an international non-proprietary name begins with a proposed name ("proposed INN"; English: proposed INN , pINN ). If, within a specified period not to objections is from the proposed INN of recommended INN (English: recommended INN , Rinn ).

The “modified INN” ( modified INN , INNm ) can be used for salts and esters of a medicinal product . There are also internationally recognized abbreviations for counterions and functional groups that are used to form the “modified INN”. One example is the short form “mesilate” for the anion of methanesulfonic acid (methanesulfonate).

Web links

• INN information from the WHO
• What international non-proprietary names say Pharmazeutische Zeitung , issue 45/2002, accessed on May 5, 2009
• INN Stems , on the WHO website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The use of stems in the selection of International Nonproprietary Names (INN) for pharmaceutical substances (“Stem Book” of the WHO; PDF; 874 kB), 2013.
2. ↑ WHO: Guidance on INN , accessed March 17, 2019.
3. ↑ International Nonproprietary Names Modified , INN Working Document of the WHO, accessed on March 17, 2019 (PDF; 68 kB).
4. ↑ International Nonproprietary Names (INN) for pharmaceutical substances - Names for radicals, groups & others , WHO 2015.