Abstract: The WHODrug Global (WHODrug in short) medicinal information dictionary aim to facilitate the coding of medications in clinical trials as well as identification of medication-related problems in post-marketing surveillance, and thereby supporting the development and usage of effective and safe medications. WHODrug is a product provided by the Swedish foundation Uppsala Monitoring Centre (UMC). WHODrug contains individual product names, active ingredients and additional information such as marketing authorisation holder, country of sale, pharmaceutical form and strength, available in an English and a Chinese version. All related medications are linked using a structured WHODrug alphanumeric code, connecting product names and variations of the ingredient with the active moiety of the active ingredient s, including the International Nonproprietary Name (INN). Medications in WHODrug are classified using the ATC system and clustered into Standardised Drug Groupings, to allow for grouping of medications with one or more properties in common. The different information levels in WHODrug are used to explore the relationship between a medication or a class of medications and an adverse event. Using WHODrug in clinical trials and post-marketing safety work enables the use of accurate standardised medication nomenclature and other information that supports easier global information exchange. The ISO standards for Identification of Medicinal Products (IDMP) global Pharmaceutical Product Identifier (PhPID) is currently being added to WHODrug Global. To meet the demands of WHODrug users from the pharmaceutical industry, academia and regulatory authorities, it is essential to keep the dictionary comprehensive, validated and constantly updated on a global scale. This article introduces the application of WHODrugin practice, its data structure and applications of the structure, as well as uses of other products within the product portfolio, with the aim of supporting the effective and safe development and use of drugs.

Key words: WHODrug, Drug Coding, Clinical Trial, Post Marketing Surveillance, Signal Detection, Adverse Drug Event, Pharmacovigilance, Standardised Drug Groupings