Thursday, August 06, 2009

What Is Brand And Generic Drug Names

Generic names give us significant amount of information about the chemical nature of the drug, type of the drug, and the parent class of the drug. Generic names are often too complex to memorize and hence pharmaceutical companies market the drug with a particular brand name. Brand names are often small and easy to remember. Brand names often suggest the characteristics of the drug as well. For example:

Lopressor is the brand name of a drug which lowers the blood pressure.

Vivactil is the brand name of an antidepressant drug which makes the user vivacious and energetic.

Glucotrol is the brand name of a drug which controls the glucose level in the blood.

Skelaxin is the brand name of a drug which helps the skeletal muscles to relax.