British Approved Name

British Approved Name (BAN) represents the official, generic, non-proprietary denomination granted to a pharmaceutical compound as per the guidelines and definitions stipulated in the British Pharmacopoeia. The designation 'BAN' is not exclusive to the United Kingdom; it is adopted and respected by numerous nations globally, particularly members of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Combination Preparations[edit | edit source]

Distinctively, BAN encompasses both combination and individual drug formulations:

The prefix "co-" is typically employed for many drugs that combine multiple active ingredients. Such combinations can be observed in pain-relieving medications that combine opioids with paracetamol or aspirin (e.g., Co-codamol, Co-codaprin, Co-dydramol, Co-proxamol).
In the realm of antibiotics, examples like Co-fluampicil and Co-trimoxazole manifest.
Medications tailored for hypertension might include entities like Co-tenidone, while diuretics can be represented by Co-amilofruse and Co-amilozide.
Gastrointestinal drugs include formulations like Co-danthrusate, while anti-Parkinsonism medications encompass agents such as Co-careldopa and Co-beneldopa.
Other diverse preparations include combinations like Co-cyprindiol.

BAN Harmonisation[edit | edit source]

The integration of the British Pharmacopoeia (BP) with the European Pharmacopoeia (EP), together with the broader adoption of International Nonproprietary Names (INNs) throughout the European Union, has resulted in an alignment of most BANs with INNs. The outstanding deviation remains in the nomenclature for adrenaline/epinephrine.

Countries such as Australia, where BP and BANs have legislative endorsement as official standards, showcase an intriguing situation. Although BANs are being superseded, prior BANs are retained, attributed largely to the logistical challenges linked to transitioning. In spite of BP's pivotal role, there is a conspicuous inertia against modifying these established names.