thisdrug what a medicine's name tells you

WHO naming stem · infix · 19 listed names

-ster-

androgens/anabolic steroids

WHO's definition, quoted as written in the 2024 stem book
Names only. This page is about -ster- as a part of a name. It has nothing on uses, doses, side effects or interactions of any medicine that carries it, and nothing here is medical advice. Ask a pharmacist or doctor about the medicine itself.

Where it sits in a name

WHO writes the stem as -ster-. So the letters ster sit inside the name, with letters before and after it (…ster…).

All 19 names WHO lists under -ster-

These are the INN in group (a) of Part IV of the stem book: names in which WHO says the stem is used as defined. The stem is marked where WHO places it. A-Z as WHO lists them.

  1. bexlosteride
  2. bolasterone
  3. cloxotestosterone
  4. dutasteride
  5. epristeride
  6. finasteride
  7. fluoxymesterone
  8. izonsteride
  9. lapisteride
  10. mesterolone
  11. methyltestosterone
  12. oxymesterone
  13. penmesterol
  14. prasterone
  15. rosterolone
  16. testosterone
  17. testosterone ketolaurate
  18. tiomesterone
  19. turosteride

Decode another name

Decoded

prasterone

Listed INNCarries 2 WHO stems, most specific first: -terone …

  • -teroneend of the nameWHO definition: antiandrogens
  • -ster-inside the nameWHO lists it hereWHO definition: androgens/anabolic steroids

“prasterone” is an INN that WHO lists under -ster- in the 2024 stem book.

The same decoder as the front page: it reads the letters of a name against all 482 WHO stems, in your browser.

Source and licence

The definition of -ster- (Part II B) and the 19 names (Part IV, group (a)) 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.