What Is Generic Code Number For A Drugs
Drugs and medications are the major tools in Medicine. Medicine is the science of healing from a physical ailment or disease. To study drugs and medication, medical professionals have developed a nomenclature for drugs to identify them. The nomenclature has now been practiced world over for drug recognition. How do we classify drugs? Here’s the answer:
Drug Taxonomy
When a drug is manufactured, it’s assigned three different types of names and a code number for identification. These names are:
1. Chemical Name
2. Generic Name
3. Brand Name
In addition to these names, a unique code number is also assigned to drugs.
Chemical Names
A drug is made of a certain chemical formula. This chemical formula describes the elements which makes the drug and their structure. The chemical name is assigned on the basis of this formula. Every drug is made of a unique formula and hence a unique chemical name. The chemical name of a drug gives information about the elements the drug is composed of, the molecular and atomic structure of the drug. For example:
Cefalexin has a chemical name, 5-thia-1-azabicyclo [4.2.0]-oct-2-ene-2 carboxylic acid, 7-[(aminophenylacetyl)amino]-3-methyl-8-oxo-, monohydrate.
By analyzing the chemical name, one can acquire precise information about the composition of the drug.
Generic Names
Every drug is assigned a generic name for unique identification. The generic name is assigned by the manufacturer of that drug after getting the approval from United Sates Approved Name Council. Generic drugs are often derived form the chemical name of the drug, such as Acetaminophen is derived from its chemical name, N-(4-hydroxyphenyl) acetamide. Generic name is also known as non-proprietary name of the drug. Generic names are the official names of the drugs and used by the medical professionals to identify them.
Brand Names
Brand names or trade names or proprietary names are the name patented by the manufacturer of the drug for marketing purposes. Brand name is assigned after the drug is tested by the FDA and is a registered trademark. Only the manufacturing company, which holds the copyrights, can use the brand name to market the drug. Once the patent expires (after 20 years of its grant) the company loses its exclusive rights to use the name. Off-patented drugs can be manufactured and marketed by other companies with the same brand name. These off-patented versions of the drugs are called generic drugs.
Code Number
A unique code number is also assigned to the drug for identification and easy referencing.
Code number consists of the initials of the first manufacturer of the drug and the laboratory’s serial number. For example: RU 486, where RU is for Roussel Uclaf ( a French manufacturing company) and 486 is the drug’s laboratory serial number.
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