Same Medicine - Different Names

28.6.1 Same Medicine - Different Names Generic Name versus Brand (Trade) Name The names of medicines are sometimes confusing, because there can be various names for the same medicine. On one label, there are usually two names:

 Generic name: The generic name is the chemical name of the medicine. It is often written in small letters on the label. The generic name is recognized throughout the world. It is like one common language. An example of a generic name is levamisole.

 Brand name: The brand name (or trade name) is a name given by the company or manufacturer and is often written in big letters on the label. Each company has its own name for a certain drug. For example, levamisole (the generic name) has many brand names, such as Levasole, Citarin, Ripercol, and Tramisol depending on the manufacturer and the country where it is manufactured.

The same drug with different brand names Why is this important? It is important because sometimes the same product may be available under a different brand name. In this book generic names are used most commonly but the brand name is also included at times. The brand name is written in italics and begins with a capital letter. For instance, one common name for oxytetracycline is Terramycin.