Prescription Drugs 2 Generic Names

There are three main types of names for drugs:
a.The Chemical Name: This is the actual IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) approved chemical name of the drug devised according to its chemical composition, structure of molecules, and/or molecular arrangement. Chemical names are usually very technical and complicated. They are not easy to remember and due to complexity of structure, researchers, doctors, teachers etc. prefer generic names over chemical names.

b.The Generic Name: This name is approved by FDA and used by doctors, researchers and pharmacists internationally. When a drug is discovered or prepared, the manufacturer has to get approval from FDA before they start selling the product in pharmacies. They also have to patent a name associated with the drug as an internationally recognized name. This name, the Generic drug name is usually a shorthand version of chemical name of the drug.