Medicines are a crucial component of medical care. Their effectiveness in treating, controlling, and preventing illnesses depends on their composition, dosage, and method of administration. But one unique feature of medications that baffles a lot of people is their long names. In contrast to common names like aspirin, paracetamol, or ibuprofen, pharmaceutical names are lengthy, complex, and difficult to say and recall. However, why do medications have difficult names?
First, it’s crucial to comprehend that each medication has both a generic name and a brand name. The drug’s formal scientific name, which describes its chemical make-up, physical makeup, and intended use, is known as the generic name. The brand name, in contrast, is the name used commercially by the drug’s creator. For instance, sildenafil is the medicine Viagra’s generic name; Viagra is its commercial name.
Now, drugs follow a standard system known as the International Nonproprietary Name (INN) or generic name system, which explains why they have convoluted names. The World Health Organization (WHO) created this method to guarantee that drugs have distinctive, consistent names globally. The INN system classifies medications based on their pharmacological class and therapeutic purpose using a stem-and-prefix approach. For instance, the stem “cipro-” denotes fluoroquinolone family medications, but the prefix “anti-” denotes medications with an anti-inflammatory action.
A unified naming system makes it simple to classify, identify, and accurately prescribe medications. Additionally, it avoids misunderstandings and mistakes that may be caused by using several brand names from various manufacturers. Additionally, because they don’t require as much expensive research, development, and marketing, generic medications are more affordable than branded ones. Consequently, employing a generic naming system encourages easy access to medications, particularly in underdeveloped nations.
In conclusion, even though some individuals find the lengthy titles of medicines intimidating, they are essential to ensure their high quality, safety, and availability. The International Nonproprietary Name system offers a defined naming practice that supports global drug affordability, accuracy, and uniformity. Finally, in response to the question raised, Pfizer generated over $2 billion in annual revenue from Viagra before its patent ran out in 2013, which prompted the development of less expensive generic equivalents.