who medicines strategy - libdoc.who.int - World Health Organization

WHO MEDICINES STRATEGY 2004-2007 | 88EO 5.2Medicines nomenclature andclassification efforts continuedthrough assignment, promotion,and protection of internationalnonproprietary names, and thepromotion and development ofATC/DDD systemRationaleInternational Nonproprietary Names (INN)identify pharmaceutical substances or activepharmaceutical ingredients. Each INN (oftenreferred to as a “generic” name) is a unique namethat is globally recognized and is public property.The existence of an international nomenclaturefor pharmaceutical substances, in the form ofINN, is important for the clear identification andsafe prescription and dispensing of medicinesto patients, as well as for communicationand exchange of information among healthprofessionals and scientists, businesses, andgovernments worldwide. Providing INN is one ofthe oldest services that WHO provides to MemberStates. INN are made available in all six WHOlanguages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French,Russian, and Spanish) as well as in Latin. Thework of the INN Programme and the assignmentof INN are both guided by International INNExpert Group.An additional classification system has beendeveloped to serve primarily as a tool for drugutilization research. The Anatomical TherapeuticChemical (ATC) classification system togetherwith the Daily Defined Dose (DDD) continuesto be developed and maintained by theWHO Collaborating Centre for Drug StatisticsMethodology in Oslo, Norway, under thesupervision of the WHO International WorkingGroup for Drug Statistics and Methodology.The Working Group, comprised of experts inclinical pharmacology and medicines utilizationrepresenting the six WHO Regions, meets twicea year and oversees the work of the CollaboratingCentre for Drug Statistics Methodology. The ATCclassification system with its hierarchical codesdivides drugs into different groups according tothe organ system on which they act and theirchemical, pharmacological, and therapeuticproperties. In the ATC system, one drug can haveseveral ATC codes due to different therapeutic useand local application formulations. The DDD isa unit of measurement in drug utilization studiesreflecting average daily maintenance dose of thedrug when used for its main indication. AlthoughATC codes are increasingly used for classificationpurposes (i.e. in drug formularies), the main utilityof ATC codes is in conjunction with DDD for drugutilization research worldwide.ProgressThe use of the INN system is expanding withthe increase in the number of names. Its wideapplication and global recognition are also dueto close collaboration with numerous nationalmedicines nomenclature bodies in the processof INN selection. As a result, most of thepharmaceutical substances used today in medicalpractice are designated by an INN. The use ofINN is common in scientific literature, regulatoryaffairs, research, and clinical documentation. Theyare also used for administrative purposes. Theirimportance is increasing due to expanding use ofgeneric names for pharmaceutical products.Nonproprietary names are widely used in