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The International Nonproprietary Name (INN): numerous advantages

Using the INN (International Nonproprietary Name), a drug’s real name, ensures that key information gets across.

In France in 2010, only 12% of prescriptions were written using the INN (International Nonproprietary Name), far below the level observed in other countries (81% in the UK for example). Yet using the INN offers numerous advantages. INNs, assigned by the World Health Organization, are an international language shared by healthcare professionals and patients.

This language allows patients to obtain the same drug anywhere, and allows healthcare professionals to renew or to fill a prescription without the risk of confusion: INNs are far fewer in number, more explicit, more logical and more consistent than brand names. Most INNs include common stems that give information on a drug’s therapeutic class, mechanism of action, chemical or biochemical origin or family, and its adverse effects. With the INN, patients are better informed as to the true nature of medicines and are better able to spot drugs to be avoided, for example because of a risk of interactions, of dose accumulation, of contraindications or of allergies.

Using the INN allows a fully independent choice of the drug, dosage and pharmaceutical form, without taking into account the interests of the pharmaceutical companies who promote brand names.

Prescribing in INNs does not interfere with reimbursement for medicines and does not imply systematic use of generic drugs. Using the INN to prescribe fixed-dose combinations of drugs creates an opportunity to re-examine the interest of each drug, and to explain it to patients.

Using INNs day to day is not difficult and contributes to the quality of care, as long as they are correctly used and adapted to each patient.

In France, use of the INN in writing prescriptions will become legally mandatory by 1 January 2015 at latest. Now is the time for healthcare professionals to get used to thinking, speaking, prescribing and dispensing using the INN.

©Prescrire 1 August 2012

Special issue of La revue Prescrire "Travailler ensemble" Rev Prescrire 2012; 32 (346). Click here for the table of contents (in French).
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Use the INN to avoid
confusion between drugs
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