United States Adopted Name

United States Adopted Names (USAN) are unique nonproprietary names assigned to pharmaceutical substances, as established by the USAN Council and administered by the American Medical Association (AMA), the United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP), and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA).

History[edit | edit source]

The USAN program was established in 1961 to provide healthcare professionals with a unified standard for identifying drugs for the safe prescription and dispensing of medicines to patients, and to facilitate the identification of these substances should they be subject to recall.

Function[edit | edit source]

The USAN Council assigns names based on a number of factors including chemical and pharmacological properties, proposed use, and marketing considerations. The USAN Council works in conjunction with the World Health Organization's International Nonproprietary Names (INN) program, ensuring that the names of drugs do not infringe on trademark rights and are not confusingly similar to existing names.

Process[edit | edit source]

The process of assigning a USAN begins with an application submitted by the manufacturer or patent holder of the drug. The application includes detailed information about the drug's composition, function, and proposed use. The USAN Council reviews the application and proposes a name, which is then subject to public comment before being finalized.

Impact[edit | edit source]

The USAN program has had a significant impact on the practice of medicine in the United States. By providing a standardized nomenclature for drugs, the USAN program has improved patient safety by reducing confusion and errors in the prescription and dispensing of medications.