How to recognize the generic name and trade name of drugs
Our common drug names are generally divided into generic names and trade names. The generic name refers to the name of the active ingredient of the drug, and the trade name is the name of the pharmaceutical company. The trademark name registered for its products.
The common name of a drug is the name specified in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia or national drug standards. It is the common name of drugs with the same ingredients or the same formula in China, and is mandatory and binding. Therefore, all drugs on the market must be labeled with their generic names.
However, the same medicine can have many different trade names, and the selling prices of medicines with different trade names are also very different. Therefore, consumers have reason and need to understand the similarities and differences of drug names so that they can consume clearly.
As mentioned before, the generic name is stipulated by the state and must be used on the labels, instructions or packaging of the drug; while the trade name is what the drug manufacturer uses to create the company's brand based on its own business philosophy. The purpose of careful design is to occupy a broader market and obtain greater development space and benefits. Since the process of designing, cultivating, and expanding a brand requires a large amount of capital investment, the price of branded drugs is generally higher than that of similar drugs without brand packaging, and some are even much higher. For example: Miconazole nitrate ointment, a commonly used external medicine for the treatment of fungal infections, sells for about 1.8 yuan per tube under the generic name. However, the price of "×××" ointment, which has become a well-known brand, has increased by more than five times. ; The commonly used drug chloramphenicol eye drops are 1.0 yuan each, while the price of "××" eye drops with the same main drug ingredients and indications as chloramphenicol is about 9.0 yuan. In addition, sometimes a drug with exactly the same ingredients and the same common name has multiple trade names at the same time. For example, roxithromycin has Hongbike, Yandi, Bisulin, Luolide, Lexiqing, and Rensu. , Fuxin, Beike, Taierxin, Lizhuxing, Puhong, Houshu and other product names, so there are also many different prices. Similar situations are still very common and have a tendency to heat up. Objectively speaking, this kind of business strategy behavior is also an inevitable result of the market economy, but as a consumer, you need to be more discerning and be able to distinguish the similarities and differences between generic names and trade names.
As for the ratio of the font size of the generic name to the trade name, the "Regulations on the Administration of Drug Packaging, Labeling and Instructions" issued by the State Food and Drug Administration also has detailed instructions, stipulating the ratio of the generic name to the trade name. It must not be less than 1 to 2, that is, the font of the product name cannot be too large, and the font of the common name cannot be too small. This regulation is mainly to facilitate consumers' attention to the common name. However, although some manufacturers have designed the proportion of font size in accordance with regulations, they have cleverly made a fuss about the color and tone of the font, designing the tone of the common name to be very light or similar to the base tone, thereby "diminishing the color". ” effect, while the font and color of the product name are eye-catching and prominent, thus highlighting its brand.
To sum up, the generic name is an expression of the structural characteristics of the drug or the ingredients of the compound, and strives to reflect the true face of the thing; while the trade name is the packaging of the market value given by the company to the product, and is a reflection of the company’s business operations. the embodiment of thought.
Whether to buy brand or substance, consumers must learn to compare and choose.