Scope of USAN

United States Adopted Names (USAN) will be provided for:

• small molecule drugs
• biotechnology drugs including monoclonal antibodies, therapeutic vaccines, proteins and peptides, DNA, RNA, nucleoside and nucleotide therapies
• gene therapies
• cellular therapies
• other biological substances deemed appropriate to be assigned a USAN by the USAN Council
• contact lens materials
• active ingredients in sunscreens
• veterinary products intended to control diseases in animals
• the base, salt, solvate or ester, or other chemical derivative of a substance that has received a USAN

United States Adopted Names (USAN) will not be provided for:

• mixtures that do not have an IND number or do not require approval for human use by the FDA
• drug delivery mechanisms
• excipients alone
• prophylactic vaccines
• product formulations* (emulsions, suspensions, etc.)
• medical devices
• manufacturing processes
• combination drug products

*An exception to the above will only be authorized by the USAN Council if there is a clear and well-documented need such that assignment of a name promotes safety and advances the Council's nomenclature principles.