Xanax and Alprazolam

When the research chemists are working away in their laboratories, they refer to the drugs using the names given to the molecules or the classes of drugs under investigation. Sometimes, this gives inconveniently long and technical names. As the drug nears the end of its development cycle, the name is shortened into what becomes the “generic” name. Almost all the benzodiazepine drugs end in “zolam” or “zepam”. In this case, the “Alpra” is an arbitrary choice to fit on to the ending.

When it comes to marketing the drug, the people who write the ads and TV campaigns decide whether the generic name “works” as the brand. In many cases, it does not and something shorter and more memorable is picked. That is where Xanax comes in. Xanax is the brand name for Alprazolam. This branding is repeated for each market around the world. Where there are different languages, words that work well in one may have unfortunate meanings in others. Hence, when you buy internationally, you may see the names Alprox, Frontal, Tafil, Xanax and Xanor used.

In every respect, all the different named drugs are chemically identical and have the same level of effectiveness. They are called bioequivalents. The original manufacturer licenses production to different countries and monitors the quality of the output to ensure the same levels of safety and effectiveness are maintained.

If the drug is to be changed in any way, it must go through a new FDA approval process. So if the original xanax is to be delivered in an extended release form, it must go through extensive tests to prove its safety. That way, you are always protected no matter what the name on the label.