The final stage of the selection process is the recommended INN. Once a name has been published as a recommended INN it will not normally be modified further and is ready for use in labelling, publications, on drug information. It will serve to identify the active pharmaceutical substance during its life-time worldwide. Since the name is available in the public domain it may be used freely. However, it should not be registered as a trademark since this would prevent its use by other parties (see also chapter 4.).

Recommended INNs are published in the WHO Drug Information as a consequence of the objection procedure applied to proposed INNs (see 2.1 above). As from 1997, two lists of proposed INNs are published yearly and as from list 37 of recommended INNs, graphic formulae are also included for better identification of the substances.

An example of an entry in the list may be found below: