Paper prepared for the <INN Expert Group discussion by Professor Witold Wieniawski, Polish Pharmacopoeia Commission, Warsaw and Dr Wai Keung Chui, Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore.
Activities of the INN Programme have focused on selecting names for active pharmaceutical substances used in human and veterinary medicine while expanding only incidentally to other types of substances and products used directly or indirectly for health purposes. The rules governing the allocation of INNs are specifically adapted to indicate the therapeutic activity of a single substance and these rules may not be appropriate for naming of other types of products. However, over the years, the success of the Programme has led to requests for expansion into other areas, especially in cases where divergence in naming practices creates difficulties for international cooperation. One possible area highlighted for expansion is the naming of excipients.
