#Prescription medication dictionary code#

Please note that before 2005, USAN was considered Health Canada's nomenclature standard. The process would continue until all resources are exhausted and, in that case, internet reference and/or articles would be used until it is listed in any of the previous reference text. If the ingredient is not found in either the INN or the USAN then Health Canada hierarchy would be followed and the Martindale reference text would be used. They are also used to maintain a synonym's list in our internal database.įor example, if an ingredient is not found in the INN reference text but is listed in the USAN, then Health Canada would use the USAN as the preferred name until INN lists the ingredient in their reference text.

#Prescription medication dictionary code#

There are other standards such as the United States Adopted Names ( USAN), Martindale, Merck Index, etc., that are used to code ingredients if they are not listed in the INN. The International Non Proprietary Names ( INN) is used as Health Canada's standard to assign the preferred name to ingredients. Health Canada has a reference text hierarchy for ingredient nomenclature. For example, for calcium (calcium carbonate) 200 milligram (mg) - 200 mg is the strength of elemental calcium, not calcium carbonate. The number in the strength field refers to the active portion of the drug. This information is only included for some ingredients.

Information enclosed within brackets represents the salt and identifies how the ingredient is supplied. The name and strength of each active ingredient contained in the product is listed. An Active Ingredient is any component that has medicinal properties, and supplies pharmacological activity or other direct effect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease, or to affect the structure or any function of the body of a human or an animal.