Nomenclature of Drugs

Question 1

What is a drug?

Answer 1

• Substance used in diagnosis, tx or prevention of disease
• Active ingredient contained within a medication
• Has a specific action on physiological or biochemical processes in the body
• If used at recommended dose, the effect produced by a drug should have relatively few side effects or adverse drug reactions (ADRs)

Question 2

What is medicine?

Answer 2

Agents used to treat disease or injury – each medicine usually contains at least one drug

Question 3

What is a pharmaceutical?

Answer 3

Drug or medicine that is prepared or dispensed in a pharmacy & which is used in tx of medical conditions

Question 4

What is the international non-proprietary name?

Answer 4

• Name that describes actual drug within the medicine – commonly used when describing a product
• Active ingredient in the med that is decided by an expert committee & is understood internationally (INN)
• Should be recorded on clinical records rather than brand names
• Common stems – to identify particular drug belonging to a group of drugs w/ similar pharmacological activity
  o E.g. propranolol, atenolol, bisoprolol are b-adrenoreceptor antagonists (Beta Blockers)

Question 5

What is the brand or proprietary name?

Answer 5

• Name of actual product (box of tablets, bottle of drops) in which the drug or active ingredient is included
• Uniquely identifies the particular basic principles of therapeutics combination of a drug or active ingredients
• Legislation usually allows a pharmaceutical company a time-limited monopoly on the use of this name & therefore the supply of that particular combo of ingredients
• The company owns a patent for that product
• The brand, or proprietary, name is usually capitalised & can be registered (NameR) or trademark name (NameTM)
• Name itself can be printed on container, the packaging provided with container &/or on a label on a dispensing container provided by the Pharmacist
• The patented name owned by a particular pharmaceutical company

Question 6

What are generics?

Answer 6

• ‘Copies’ of a branded product after patent expiration
• Not always identical to brand equivalent (can include/exclude other ingredients such as dyes or flavourings but active drug should be equivalent)
• Normally the INN
• Those sold w/o brand name, once patent for a branded product expires, other companies produce generic copies of same pharmaceutical
• Can also be manufactured if pharmaceutical contains an ingredient that is not covered by the patent protection of original branded product
• Specifies the drug i.e. includes the INN or NPN, & has a prefix or suffix which identifies the company producing the generic product
• Some drugs have dual names as result of changes to spelling of original drug to make names easier
  o E.g. Chlorpheniramine renamed as Chlorphenamine, Acyclovir renamed as aciclovir, sodium cromoglycate renamed as sodium cromoglicate

Question 7

What is the order that you should look at the BNF in for a drug a px has told you about?

Answer 7

• Indications: drug approved use, some drugs are used “off-label”
• Contraindications: when a drug should not be used & has potential to cause harm
• Cautions: where precautions are required e.g. monitoring of liver function, increased risk of renal impairment, may change iris colour, monitor IOP, susceptibility to angle-closure glaucoma
• Interactions: where drug affects activity of another drug when administered together
  o E.g. phenylephrine drops may interact w/ sympathomimetics – beta blockers, certain anti-depressants
• Side Effects: effect of drug that is in addition to its intended effect. Can be desired (generally undesirable)
  o BNF states common, rare or very rare
  o Can occur in particular px groups
  o Can be ocular (local) or systemic
  o May need to warn a px about a side effect and what to do if it occurs SO BE AWARE!!