ESSAY - New FDA rules may prompt Pig Latin drug names

[Guest guest]

HemOnc Today

Posted 10 Apr 2008

New FDA rules may prompt Pig Latin drug names

by O. Dolinar, MD

There once was a time when you could look at a drug name and make an

educated guess as to what it was used to treat. Glucotrol and

Glucophage are used to treat glucose. Neurontin has something to do

with the treatment of neurons: epilepsy. It is also being used today

to treat peripheral neuropathy. Families of drugs had related names,

too. Propranolol, atenolol and nadolol are all beta-blockers, for

example.

Things have changed. If you look at the name Alli, would there be any

way for you to decipher that it is used for weight loss? Consider

Lialda. Could you determine by its name that the drug is used to treat

ulcerative colitis? Then there is Yaz — the name, perhaps, of a new

mascot for the Utah Jazz basketball team? Actually, Yaz is a

medication used to treat premenstrual syndrome and other disorders.

Who could have guessed?

****************************************************

Read the rest of the article here:

http://www.hemonctoday.com/article.aspx?rID=27360

--

Not an MD