BAN
Medical abbreviation · Pharmacology
| Stands for | British Approved Name |
|---|---|
| Categories | Medical |
BAN stands for British Approved Name, a pharmacology abbreviation.
Official nonproprietary drug name used in the United Kingdom. Since the early 2000s most BANs have been changed to match WHO international names, so older British names such as frusemide and lignocaine became furosemide and lidocaine.
Example: Old BAN "frusemide" still appears on some legacy UK hospital charts.
Usage notes
The switch followed European rules requiring INN-based names on medicine labels. Adrenaline and noradrenaline were kept as the main UK names because of patient safety concerns, although epinephrine and norepinephrine are the INNs. BAN in everyday English also means a prohibition, so the abbreviation is usually spelled out.
Related abbreviations
More pharmacology abbreviations
- ADE – Adverse drug event
- ADME – Absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion
- ADR – Adverse drug reaction
- AE – Adverse event
- ATC – Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification
- AUC – Area under the curve
- BBW – Black box warning
- BE – Bioequivalence
- Cmax – Maximum concentration
- Css – Steady-state concentration
- CYP – Cytochrome P450
- DDD – Defined daily dose
See all 36 pharmacology abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.