Brand Name Search

Introduction

Consumers from private hospitals and clinics are provided with a huge range of brand choices, being it original or generic brand.

• However, some might prefer to use only the brand recommended by their family doctor.

A customer may walk into your community pharmacy, requesting a brand that you unheard of before, such as “Vocinti” or "Cezti".

• What could be your first port of call?

Database Search

If the brand name is proprietary, it is highly likely to be found in major drug references like the British National Formulary, Lexicomp and Micromedex.

• However, if it is a generic brand name produced by a local or overseas manufacturer, this may not always be the case.

NOTE: Both Martindale The Complete Drug Reference and Lexicomp have limited list of international brand name, which vary by country.

Nevertheless, for drugs available in Malaysia, you should be able to find the necessary information in

• MIMS Malaysia

• NPRA Quest 3+ Product Search.

I personally prefer NPRA Quest 3+ Product Search for it being more comprehensive in brand name search.

• All drugs registered in Malaysia with MAL number should be found in NPRA Quest 3+ Product Search. However, it may be missing for cases of registration renewal.
• Drug products will only be available in MIMS Malaysia if the drug company pay money to MIMS to be listed.

NOTE: To learn on new approved drugs in Malaysia, you may check here.

Product Leaflet Search

To learn more on a drug, there are few FREE online resources that you may look into to find its product leaflet.

• MIMS Malaysia - provides either concise information, full information or none
• NPRA Quest 3+ Product Search (Malaysia) - under attachments sometimes
• ARTG Search - for Australia registered drugs
• electronic medicines compendium (emc) - for UK registered drug
• DailyMed - for US registered drugs
• Drug Product Database - for Canada registered drugs

NOTE: You may also find Prescribers' Digital Reference (PDF) (formerly known as "Physicians' Desk Reference") quite useful. Off label use information can be found here too.

Summary

During university years, we are learning medicines by their active ingredient name.

• However, in daily working life, it is a norm to see doctors prescribing drugs using brand name.
• Hence, it is handy to learn some common brand names.

Few years back, doctors are urged to prescribe drugs by active ingredients.

• However, with the proliferation of biosimilars and liposomal or pegylated forms, health care professionals are now encouraged to communicate using product name for certain circumstances (e.g. bioavailability differences, release profile variations, biologics and biosimilars, licence variations and patient factors) to avoid confusion.
• May refer here for examples of medicines to be prescribed by brand name in primary care.

External Links

• TGA - Updating medicine ingredient names - list of affected ingredients, 2020
  
• Multiple Brand Names for the Same Generic Drug Can Cause Confusion, 2013
• A different drug, a different country, but the same brand name?, 2005
  
• SPS - Prescribing by generic or brand name in primary care
  
• SPS - Example medicines to prescribe by brand name in primary care