Names
A Drug can have three different names. The chemical name is the chemical formula for the drug. The name is often long and complicated.
The generic or official name is a shorter, less complicated name which is used for legal and scientific purposes. The generic name is the public property and any drug manufacturer may use it. There is only one generic name for each drug.
The brand name or trade name is the private property of the individual drug manufacturer and no competitor may use it. Brand names often have the superscript after or before the name. Most drugs have several brand names because each manufacturer producing the drug gives it a different name. When a specific brand name is ordered on a prescription by a physician, it must be dispensed by the pharmacist; no other brand name may be substituted. It is a common practice to capitalize the first letter of a brand name.
The following lists give the chemical, generic and brand names of the well known antibiotic drug, ampicillin. Note that a drug can have several brand names but only one generic, or official, name.
| Chemical name
Alpha – aminobenzyl P
| |
| Generic Name
(official name)
Ampicillin
| |
| Brand names
Amcill capsules
Omnipen
Penbritin
Polycillin
Principen / N
| |
