United States Adopted Name

We know generic names, they're invented words pretty much, but they're not random as some folks may think.

So in the U.S., United States Adopted Names Program, or USAN, works with FDA international naming systems to assign standardized non-proprietary names.

And don't worry, there is a system to it all.

So many names contained a shared stem that signals something like a drug class, a structure or mechanism.

So think of one.

Take the buxostat, right? The gout medication.

So the stat suffix per USAN signifies that's an enzyme inhibitor.

And the XO means it inhibits xanthine oxidase.