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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
I’ve long wondered why generic drug names (and some brand names) are so complex and hard to pronounce. I’m always impressed when the pronunciation rolls off a doctor’s or pharmacist’s tongue. How do these drugs get their complex generic names, and how do they get their brand names?Drugs have (at least) two names: a generic and a brand name. For example, acetaminophen is the generic name for Tylenol, ibuprofen is the generic for Advil, sertraline is generic for the depression drug Zoloft, and apixaban is generic for the blood-thinner Eliquis. How drugs get their names is pretty interesting. I’ll first hit the naming of the generic and then how they get their brand names.Generic NamesIn the early stages of its development, a drug is assigned a number by the company developing it. For example, the Pfizer drug CIBINQO (generic name abrocitinib), which treats dermatitis, started its life as PF-04965842. Once a drug shows enough promise that it is headed for clinical trials, it is given its generic name. Two different organizations must approve the names of generic drugs— the United States Adopted Names (USAN) Council and the World Health Organization (WHO) INN Programme. By having both organizations approve names, health officials worldwide can be sure they are communicating about the same drug.Generic names are somewhat based on a formula as follows:The suffix tells the “family name,” which signals how the drug works. Here’s a cheat sheet of suffixes and what they mean:The prefix is less formulaic and more creative. But
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