Identification of Medicinal Products (IDMP)

Identification of Medicinal Products (IDMP) is a set of five ISO norms, which has been developed in response to a worldwide demand for internationally harmonized specifications for medicinal products.

European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and Healthcare (EDQM)

The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & Healthcare publishes a database of standard terms, for dose forms, routes of administration and various other key concepts within the domain.  This was originally in response to a request from the European Commission, but now is available for wider global use to support the Identification of Medicinal Products (IDMP) initiative and to support healthcare generally. 

Health Canada Drug Product Database (DPD)

The DPD contains product specific information on drugs approved for use in Canada. The database is managed by Health Canada and includes human pharmaceutical and biological drugs, veterinary drugs, radiopharmaceutical drugs and disinfectant products.

International Nonproprietary Names (INN)

International Nonproprietary Names (INN) are managed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and can be used to identify pharmaceutical substances that are acting as active pharmaceutical ingredients.  Each INN is a unique name that is globally recognized and is public property, and therefore can be used freely. 

The INN is also intended to be used as a basis for non-branded product names in healthcare, to provide clear identification of medicines, safe prescription and dispensing of medicines to patients, and for communication and exchange of information among health professionals and scientists worldwide.

Modified International Nonproprietary Names (INNm)

An INN is usually authored for the active part of the molecule only, to avoid the multiplication of entries in cases where several salts, esters, etc. are actually used in medicinal products.  To describe active ingredient substances precisely, modified INNs (INNMs) must be created independently (e.g. within a terminology itself). 
For example: mepyramine maleate (a salt of mepyramine with maleic acid) is an example of an INNM. However, when the creation of an INNM would require the use of a long or inconvenient name for the radical/modifier part of the INNM, the INN programme will author a short name for such a radical or modifier; for example:

• mesilate for methanesulfonate and

• camsilate for rac-(7,7-dimethyl-2-oxobicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-1-yl)methanesulfonate)