DRUG

NOMENCLATURE
• The term drug nomenclature implies that there are several
names that can be used to identify a drug
• Drugs have three different names;
1. Chemical name
2. Non proprietary name/ Generic name
3. Proprietary name / Brand name
 CHEMICAL
NAME

• A chemical name is given when a new chemical

entity (NCE) is developed .
• It is the name given to drug in accordance with rules of
chemical nomenclature established by international union
of pure and applied chemistry.
• It is useful for chemist or technical personnel as it
provides the precise arrangement of atom and atomic
groups in the molecule.
CONT…

• It is not used to identify the drug in a clinical or marketing

situation.
• The chemical name is not suitable for use in prescribing.
 NON PROPRIETARY
NAME

• It is a short name given to a drug that is not subjected to

proprietary rights.
• The non proprietary name should always be concise and
meaningful . This is used in discussion and textbook .
• There are 2 classes of non proprietary names;
1. Approved names
2. Official names
CONT
…

APPROVED NAME: The name is given to drug by bodies

like United Stats Adopted Name Council (USAN) and British
Approved Name (BAN) soon after its introduction.
The name sometimes referred to as a generic name
however this term is used to designate a chemical or
pharmacological class of drugs such as Sulphonamide ,
Penicillin.
CONT
…

OFFICIAL NAMES: It is the name approved by the National

Pharmacopeia Commission and included in the official
book i.e. Pharmacopeia .
The official must be identical with approved name.
 PROPRIETARY
NAME
• It is the name given to a drug by the pharmaceutical firm
which sells the drug.
• Thus a single drug is sold under many proprietary names
by different firms .
• They are written with capital initial letter and are often
further distinguished by superscript R in circle .
• Clinicians usually described drugs by their proprietary
names.
EXAMPL
E
 Brand Name Drugs
These drugs are also called as Innovator Drugs invented by Pharmaceutical
companies to prevent them from being copied or reverse engineered by other
companies.

Generic Drug
“A drug product that is comparable to brand/innovator drug in
dosage from, strength, route of administration, quality and
performance characteristics and intended use”. It should contain the
same active ingredients as the original formulation.
 Some Example of Generic and
Branded Drug with their Price
Branded
Category Generic Drug Price Price
Drug

Analgesic Paracetamol Rs 2.45 Crocin Rs 11

Diclofenacsodium Rs 4.4 Diclogesic Rs 19.40
+Paracetamol
Antibiotic Amoxyclin Rs 13.2 LMX Rs 40
Remox Rs 38.7
Azithromycin Rs 41.8 Azee Rs 107
Azithral Rs 128.55
Vitamin Folic acid Rs 2.8 Folivite Rs 11.8
B-Complex Rs 1.8 Becosul Rs 11.0
Cardiovascular(Blood
Atenolol Rs 7.0 Aten Rs 23.8
Pressure) Drug
 Why do Brand Name Drugs Cost
more than Generics?
 Brand name drugs take several years, costly scientific development and many
clinical studies to get Market approval.
 Manufacturers of brand name/Innovator drugs usually take on the research and
development cost for new medications.
 These research and development costs, along with marketing costs, account for most
of the higher prices pay for most brand name drug.
 In contrast, generic drugs have less research and development costs since the
original manufacturer has already done many studies to make sure the drug is
safe. These savings are passed on to the customer.
 Comparison between Generic and Brand Name Drugs
Similarities
They must contain the same
active ingredients.
They must have the same dosage
strength (example, 20mg or 40mg).
They must be the same dosage form.
They must have the same route of
administration.
They must deliver similar amounts
of drug to the bloodstream.
Dissimilarities
They could have different
sizes, shapes, colors.
They might have different inactive
ingredients.
The generic costs less than
the brand name drug.
 DRAWBACKS of Generic Medicine

 There may be some variations during reformulations.

 Some patients may be allergic to new colour, flavour etc.
Generic drugs are not possible in all the cases. Because it
takes long time to expire any patent.
 During bioequivalence studies, some error may
which
arise may lead to some complications. over
More bioequivalence studies are less
accurate bioavailability studies. than
THANK
YOU!