Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Scope of pharmacology
- 3 Where do drugs come from?
- 4 The names of drugs
- 5 Techniques and methods of pharmacology
- 6 Absorption, distribution, and elimination of drugs; pharmacokinetics
- 7 The nature of responses to drugs
- 8 Receptor theory
- 9 Relationship of chemical structure to biological activity
- 10 Roles of the cell membrane in responses to drugs
- 11 Clinical aspects of the actions of drugs
- 12 Conclusion
- References
- Glossary of drugs named in the text
- Index
4 - The names of drugs
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 January 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Scope of pharmacology
- 3 Where do drugs come from?
- 4 The names of drugs
- 5 Techniques and methods of pharmacology
- 6 Absorption, distribution, and elimination of drugs; pharmacokinetics
- 7 The nature of responses to drugs
- 8 Receptor theory
- 9 Relationship of chemical structure to biological activity
- 10 Roles of the cell membrane in responses to drugs
- 11 Clinical aspects of the actions of drugs
- 12 Conclusion
- References
- Glossary of drugs named in the text
- Index
Summary
A drug usually has several names. Its chemical name, which is in accord with internationally agreed upon rules about naming chemical compounds, provides, to the initiated, a description of its structure. However, this name is often quite long and can also be cumbersome, difficult to remember and to pronounce. Thus most drugs are also provided with a shorter official, or generic, name, which is easier to remember, and which may receive international recognition under the auspices of the World Health Organization. As no person or company owns it, this is also referred to as the nonproprietary name. Some drugs even have popular names, which, in the case of illicit drugs, are often referred to as their “street names” (e.g., methamphetamine = “speed,” cocaine = “snow,” phenobarbital = “purple hearts”).
A pharmaceutical company that markets a drug may have a patent on its production; for this purpose it is usually provided with a trade, or proprietary, name. This may be shorter than the generic name and is usually intended to be catchier and easier to remember and write. Many drugs are, however, not patented or are made under license by several manufacturers. Thus, a single drug may have many different trade names. As an example: A popular diuretic drug has the generic name chlorothiazide. Its chemical name is 6-chloro-2H-1, 2, 4-benzothiadiazine-7-sulfonamide, 1, 1-dioxide. This is an excellent drug that acts orally; tolerance to it does not develop; and it is used widely in the treatment of hypertension and congestive heart failure.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Elements of PharmacologyA Primer on Drug Action, pp. 7 - 9Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1981