WHO drug-name stems, one page each
A stem is the shared part of an international generic name (INN) that WHO gives to a group of related substances: -olol, -pril, -mab, cef-. Each page below quotes WHO's definition of one stem and lists every name WHO gives for it, with the stem marked.
Here are the 107 stems that WHO lists at least 20 names for, plus 10 often-looked-up stems with fewer (-afil, -coxib, -dronic acid, -gliflozin, -glutide, -lukast, -parin, -previr, -triptan, -vastatin): 117 pages in all. All 482 stems, including the rest, are in the full table on the front page.
Names only. These pages explain parts of names. They have nothing on uses, doses, side effects or interactions, and nothing here is medical advice. Ask a pharmacist or doctor about the medicine itself.
Jump to: end of a name · start of a name · inside or anywhere
Stems at the end of a name (suffixes) 92
- -abine arabinofuranosyl derivatives; nucleosides antiviral or antineoplastic agents, cytarabine or azacitidine derivatives 35 names
- -ac anti-inflammatory agents, ibufenac derivatives 41 names
- -acetam amide type nootrope agents, piracetam derivatives 23 names
- -adol/-adol- analgesics 54 names
- -afil inhibitors of phosphodiesterase PDE5 with vasodilator action 10 names
- -anib angiogenesis inhibitors 29 names
- -(ar)abine arabinofuranosyl derivatives 31 names
- -ase enzymes 20 names
- -ast anti-allergic or anti-inflammatory, not acting as anti-histaminics 84 names
- -astine antihistaminics 28 names
- -azepam diazepam derivatives 49 names
- -azoline antihistaminics or local vasoconstrictors, antazoline derivatives 20 names
- -bart artificial immunoglobulins (current monoclonal antibody naming scheme) 67 names
- -brate clofibrate derivatives 32 names
- -brutinib agammaglobulinaemia tyrosine kinase (Bruton tyrosine kinase) inhibitors 20 names
- -bulin antineoplastics; mitotic inhibitor, tubulin binder 23 names
- -caine local anaesthetics 62 names
- -cel substances for cell therapies 113 names
- -cept receptor molecules or membrane ligands, native, modified or synthetic 40 names
- -ciclib cyclin dependant kinase inhibitors 21 names
- -cillin antibiotics, 6-aminopenicillanic acid derivatives 62 names
- -citabine nucleosides antiviral or antineoplastic agents, cytarabine or azacitidine derivatives 28 names
- -citinib Janus kinase inhibitors 28 names
- -cog blood coagulation factors 23 names
- -conazole systemic antifungal agents, miconazole derivatives 49 names
- -coxib selective cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors 16 names
- -cycline antibiotics, protein-synthesis inhibitors, tetracycline derivatives 30 names
- -dil vasodilators 54 names
- -dipine calcium channel blockers, nifedipine derivatives 44 names
- -dotin synthetic derivatives of dolastatin series 32 names
- -drine sympathomimetics 23 names
- -dronic acid calcium metabolism regulator, pharmaceutical aid 17 names
- -ermin growth factors 40 names
- -fibrate clofibrate derivatives, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-α (PPAR-α) agonists 30 names
- -fusp fusion proteins 33 names
- -fylline N-methylated xanthine derivatives 44 names
- -gliflozin sodium glucose co-transporter inhibitors, phlorizin derivatives 15 names
- -gliptin dipeptidyl aminopeptidase–IV inhibitors 20 names
- -glutide Glucagon-Like Peptide (GLP) analogues 14 names
- -ifene antiestrogens or estrogen receptor modulators, clomifene and tamoxifen derivatives 24 names
- -imod immunomodulators, both stimulant/suppressive and stimulant 83 names
- -inostat histone deacetylase inhibitors 20 names
- -ium quaternary ammonium compounds 152 names
- -izine diphenylmethyl piperazine derivatives 28 names
- -kin interleukin type substances 32 names
- -lisib phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitors, antineoplastics 34 names
- -lukast leukotriene receptor antagonists 14 names
- -mab monoclonal antibodies (previous naming scheme) 831 names
- -mer polymers 32 names
- -meran messenger RNA (mRNA) 23 names
- -milast Phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) inhibitors 20 names
- -motide immunological agents for active immunization 30 names
- -mustine antineoplastic, alkylating agents, (β-chloroethyl) amine derivatives 26 names
- -mycin antibiotics, produced by Streptomyces strains (see also -kacin) 108 names
- -nidazole antiprotozoals and radiosensitizers, metronidazole derivatives 26 names
- -olol β-adrenoreceptor antagonists 98 names
- -onide steroids for topical use, acetal derivatives 24 names
- -onium quaternary ammonium compounds 82 names
- -orex anorexics 23 names
- -oxacin antibacterials, nalidixic acid derivatives 61 names
- -parin heparin derivatives including low molecular mass heparins 18 names
- -perone tranquillizers, neuroleptics, 4’-fluoro-4- piperidinobutyrophenone derivatives 32 names
- -pin(e) tricyclic compounds 53 names
- -pitant neurokinin NK1 (substance P) receptor antagonist 20 names
- -platin antineoplastic agents, platinum derivatives 20 names
- -prazole antiulcer, benzimidazole derivatives 31 names
- -previr Hepatitis Virus C (HVC) protease inhibitors 17 names
- -pride sulpiride derivatives and analogues 52 names
- -pril angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors 28 names
- -profen anti-inflammatory agents, ibuprofen derivatives 47 names
- -racetam amide type nootrope agents, piracetam type 23 names
- -relin pituitary hormone-release stimulating peptides 35 names
- -rsen antisense oligonucleotides 74 names
- -rubicin antineoplastics, daunorubicin derivatives 24 names
- -sartan angiotensin II receptor antagonists, antihypertensive (non-peptidic) 24 names
- -sertib serine/threonine kinase inhibitors 65 names
- -setron serotonin receptor antagonists (5-HT3) not fitting into other established groups of serotonin receptor antagonists 20 names
- -siran small interfering RNA including siRNA, miRNA and piRNA 27 names
- -stat/-stat- enzyme inhibitors 155 names
- -steine mucolytics, other than bromhexine derivatives 20 names
- -stim colony stimulating factors 26 names
- -tant neurokinin (tachykinin) receptor antagonists 30 names
- -tecan antineoplastics, topoisomerase I inhibitors 26 names
- -terol bronchodilators, phenethylamine derivatives 41 names
- -tide peptides and glycopeptides (for special groups of peptides see -actide, -pressin, -relin, -tocin) 90 names
- -tidine histamine-H2-receptor antagonists, cimetidine derivatives 27 names
- -tinib tyrosine kinase inhibitors 222 names
- -triptan serotonin (5HT1) receptor agonists, sumatriptan derivatives 10 names
- -tug unmodified immunoglobulins (current monoclonal antibody naming scheme) 34 names
- -vastatin antihyperlipidaemic substances, HMG CoA reductase inhibitors 15 names
- -verine spasmolytics with a papaverine-like action 41 names
- -zepine tricyclic compounds 20 names
Stems at the start of a name (prefixes) 7
- cef- antibiotics, cefalosporanic acid derivatives 80 names
- io- iodine-containing contrast media 56 names
- nico-/nic-/ni- nicotinic acid or nicotinoyl alcohol derivatives 36 names
- nifur- 5-nitrofuran derivatives 26 names
- nitro-/nitr-/nit-/ni-/-ni- NO2 - derivatives 33 names
- sulfa- anti-infectives, sulfonamides 51 names
- vin-/-vin- vinca alkaloids 27 names
Stems inside a name, or anywhere in it 18
- barb hypnotics, barbituric acid derivatives 28 names
- bol anabolic steroids 22 names
- -cain- class I antiarrhythmics, procainamide and lidocaine derivatives 33 names
- calci vitamin D analogues/derivatives 22 names
- cort corticosteroids, except prednisolone derivatives 28 names
- erg ergot alkaloid derivatives 30 names
- estr estrogens 33 names
- fos insecticides, anthelminthics, pesticides etc., phosphorous derivatives 37 names
- gest steroids, progestogens 46 names
- gli antihyperglycaemics 112 names
- -grel-/-grel platelet aggregation inhibitors 31 names
- -ki(n)- target: interleukin 44 names
- -orph- opioid receptor antagonists/agonists, morphinan derivatives 20 names
- pred prednisone and prednisolone derivatives 27 names
- prost prostaglandins 72 names
- sal salicylic acid derivatives 59 names
- trop atropine derivatives 41 names
- vir antivirals (undefined group) 187 names
Source and licence
Stems, definitions and names are from Use of stems in the selection of International Nonproprietary Names (INN) for pharmaceutical substances, 2024 (World Health Organization, Stem book 2024 (ISBN 978-92-4-009938-8); covers proposed INN Lists 1-129). Checked .
Adapted from: Use of stems in the selection of International Nonproprietary Names (INN) for pharmaceutical substances, 2024. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2024. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. This adaptation was not created by WHO; WHO is not responsible for its content or accuracy and does not endorse this site. The data file stems.json is shared under the same licence.