International Nonproprietary Name (INN)
Cosmetic Surgery - Plastic Surgery - Aesthetic Medicine - Reconstructive Surgery
The international nonproprietary name is the specific name of an active
substance. It is recognizable and usable throughout the world,
avoiding any possible confusion. It is a common worldwide language for
use by patients and medical staff to enable them to avoid making
mistakes with multiple trade names. The INN was established by the
World Health Organization in 1953. INNs do not arise as a result of a
coincidence. They were developed according to a precise code
incorporating "key stems” (suffixes, prefixes, etc.) which allow
substances of the same pharmacological group (family or pharmaceutical)
to be recognised.
The drug has a name which is the name of the active ingredient it
contains (the substance that will have the curative or preventative
effect), and this name is known as the International Nonproprietary
Name or INN. The INN is common to different countries around the world
so that health professionals and patients can identify the medicine
concerned with clarity and precision. The INN is the only language that
needs to be clearly understood in order to name a drug. There will
be several trade names for one INN depending on the pharmaceutical
companies concerned. Using the INN allows errors, overdoses and drug
interactions to be avoided, whatever the circumstances of use. For the
patient, to use the INN, even if it is a complex one, is to use the
"real name of the drug" and there is therefore a better understanding
of the active substance which a trade name does not give. The use of
the INN is also a better indication of confidence in the drug. It is a
language that relieves medical staff and patients from the pressure
exerted by commercial laboratories around trade names. To know the INN
is to have a reference point to allow confusion over names t be
avoided. The use of INNs can also prevent errors when travelling abroad
because the active substance in a drug has only one INN.