Chapter 7
The Naming of Drug Products

Now that we have discovered how a new drug entity gets approved, how do we know what to call it? The first thing to realize is that depending upon who you are talking to, the same drug may be known by several different names.

All drug entities will have at least two names; a chemical name, and a generic name. In addition, the product may also be sold by one or more companies under a registered trade name. (aka, brand name)

The Chemical Name

The chemical name is a description of the physical structure of the drug molecule. This name will tell a chemist exactly what elements, bonds, and geometric shapes the drug will contain. Based on this information he could determine how the compound could be synthesized, what type of chemical reactions may be possible when the it comes into contact with other chemicals, and a projection of what actions the drug will have in the body. Here is an example of a common drug's chemical name. If you have worked in a pharmacy, I am sure you will have dispensed it at one time or another. Tell me if you recognize this,

Did you get it? I didn't think so. That mess above is the chemical name for Amoxicillin. Now do you recognize it? Me either.

Don't fret too much. Chemical names won't be appearing on your exam. You will, however, be expected to know what a chemical name is and what it represents. Remember, a chemical name is a written description of the chemical structure of a drug. It tells what is in it, and where it is attached.

The Generic Name

The generic name is the one under which the drug's NDA was approved. It is assigned by the manufacturer, and approved by the FDA. The generic name may provide you with a clue as to the pharmacological class in which the drug belongs. This would mean you can have an idea of what action the compound will have, even if you have no other information at hand. This clue comes in the form of a suffix which is contained in the name. For instance, the pharmacological class of beta blockers may be identified by their -olol suffix. (ie, Atenolol, metoprolol, propranolol, and nadolol would all be members of this class and can be identified by their suffix.) There are several other suffixes which you will learn in the pharmacology chapter.

In much older compounds, a much different naming method was employed. One which I always remember is the drug nystatin. When this drug was given it's name it was decided it would be named after the institute at which it was discovered, the New York STATe INstitute! Very cute, but it didn't provide any help in decoding drug names, as the new method can do.

The generic name is the accepted name for use in medical research, references, and conversation between practitioners.

The Trade Name

The trade name is applied by the manufacturer of the drug to provide a brand loyalty. Just as it is in facial tissues, with Kleenex as one of the dominant brands, a manufacturer will apply a name which they hope will be easy for the practitioner and consumer to remember. The name is then trademarked through a process involving the federal government. Once a trademark is obtained, it forbids others from using this name, or any other similar sounding name, on their products. Through advertising to patients and "detailing" of prescribers by manufacturers representatives, the individual is continually bombarded with the name. Soon, the association is made.

A manufacturer may place descriptive parts in the name which it feels will help practitioners remember a characteristic that sets it apart from other products of its class. For example, Lithobid is a Lithium Carbonate product which is meant to be dosed twice daily. Since the abbreviation b.i.d. stands for twice a day, it is easy for the practitioner to remember that Lithobid should be dosed in that manner. In the same way, a pharmacy technician who receives a drug order which states to give Lithobid every 4 hours would need to bring that to the attention of the pharmacist before filling the prescription.

What happens if more than one company makes a brand name product for the same drug? You will have two trade names. Let's take the generic drug Lisinopril for example. Lisinopril is sold by Zeneca Pharmaceuticals under the trade name, Zestril; but it is also sold by Merck & Company under their name, Prinivil. Two different manufacturers, two different trade names, but the same drug. The trick now is which company can get the doctor to write for their product instead of their competitor's.

The NDC Number

The National Drug Code (NDC) of a drug is a unique number which identifies a drugs manufacturer, drug name, strength, dosages form, and package size. It is a series of 3 sets of numbers each identifying a factor in the drugs identity. The format of the NDC number appears below:

The first set of numbers indicates the drug's manufacturer. The middle numbers indicate the specific drug entity. The third set of numbers indicate the package size. Here is an example of how to read an NDC number:

Anyone who knows the codes will know exactly which drug product is identified. A prime user of the NDC concept are insurance companies. The NDC number is one reason we can have on-line adjudication of prescription claims.

Other Methods of Referring to Medications

While the chemical, generic, and trade names are the three "official ways" to name medicines you will often see drug names in two other forms, Abbreviations and Mnemonics.

Abbreviation is a common way to shorten drug names into acceptable and easily recognizable combinations of letters. They are done to offer the writer a faster and more efficient way to express himself. A few of the more common abbreviations can be found here.

A Mnemonic is a method of identification commonly employed in the computer systems that we use to input and store prescription information. Like abbreviation, it shortens the length of the drug name. But unlike abbreviations, there is no commonality involved.

The computer software will have a maximum number of characters used to identify the drug, and the mnemonic is the representation which conforms to that length. Generally a mnemonic contains the first 4 letters of the drug name, then the strength, then an identifier such as a number in sequence.

Mnemonics from one system are not recognized by another, since they are so proprietary and cryptic, that they are useless for communication between practitioners. Therefore they are used only for input of prescription information.

An example of what would be seen on your computer is:

In this case we are looking at packages of Ampicillin. The drug code in the left column is the mnemonic. You can see if that were to be written on a drug order, no one would be able to understand what was ordered without looking at your particular computer system. This would be very impractical.

An Important Consideration

An important consideration in dealing with drug names has been the emergence of "look a like" and "sound a like" drugs. ALWAYS BE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN YOU KNOW WHAT THE PRESCRIBER INTENDED!

Chapter 7 Quiz

Learn Your Drug Facts the Easy Way!

The PTCB Exam will test your knowledge on specific drugs. The PharmacyTrainer Top 200 Drug Flash Cards will make studying easy as you learn the five most important facts on the most commonly used drugs: Brand vs. Generic Name - Pharmacological Class - Phonetic Pronunciation - DEA Schedule - Routes of Administration