What's in a name?

Medicines usually have two names: a generic name of the type of medicine, and then a brand name, the name the medicine's maker gives the medicine.

Different companies call the same medicine different names. (For example, a common type of pain reliever is ibuprofen, and the brand names include Advil® and Motrin®. Or, a medicine given to prevent blood clotting is warfarin and the brand name is Coumadin®.)