序

　近年，世界各国の国際的交流が進むにしたがい，海外旅行する人々が激増してきた．多くの日本人が観光または業務で米国に旅行中，疾病または外傷を受けて，病院や医院を訪れることがある．過去45年，米国の四大学病院外来で，また，大学引退後ハワイで開業した私は，多くの日本人旅行者の診療にかかわってきた．
　彼らが米国で罹病して医師の診療を受けた場合，日米薬剤商品名の検索書が存在しないため，日本人の持参した薬剤の一般名を識別することは非常に困難か不可能であった．
　いろいろな理由から，高齢の日本人患者は，統計的に1人平均6種の薬剤を処方され，服用すると報告されている．いわゆる，「薬漬け」になっている彼らの診療と薬剤の識別に，医師のストレスは激増する．一般に，日本人は，自分の服用している薬の名前をまったく知らない人が多いばかりか，持参した薬袋には薬名も記述されていないものがほとんどであり，薬名を知ることができないことがしばしばある．仮に，薬袋に日本商品名が記述されていても，日米薬剤名牽引書がないので，一般名が不明であり，医師は診療にはなはだしい困難に直面することが多い．
　私が5年前に帰国して神戸海星病院国際内科で米国人の診療を始めたとき，米国から持参した薬剤（Pravachol）を持続して服用したい患者が，どの病院でも薬名が不明であるために，それに該当する日本薬品名が医師たちにわからなかった．幸いに，私はPDR（Physicians' Desk Reference）により，その一般名はpravastatin，すなわち日本薬品名・Mevalotin（メバロチン）であることが判明し，その処方箋を与えることができた．
　平成9年1月に起こった阪神大震災の直後，米国から送付された大量の救急薬剤について非常に遺憾なことが知らされた．これらの薬品は，米国商品名で記載されていたので，神戸市役所から依頼された医師たちは，日米薬名の索引書がないため，それらがどの日本薬品に該当するのか不明なために使用できず無力であった．私が呼ばれて現場に行ったとき，貯蔵スペースの問題から，これらの薬物はどこか不明の場所に移転され，せっかくの救助薬剤が使用されなかった．
　その後，外国人診療に深くかかわる神戸海星病院では，このような問題がしばしば再発したので，私は日米薬剤索引書の必要を痛切に感じていた．日米の多くの医師や薬剤師がこのような経験をしているので，私の同僚たちは，私に索引書を早急に作成することを要求してきた．彼らの要求を満たすために，私は，この日米薬剤名索引集を企画し，「U.S．Pharmacopeia」，「Merck Manual」，「Medical Letter」，「PDR」，「今日の治療薬」，「薬品検索辞典」に列記された薬品名を網羅して，ここに第1版を世に出したのである．
　世界で最も多くの薬剤を製造しているのは米国である．米国の薬品名は，ほとんどすべての国々の医師が知っているが，日本の薬剤商品名とそれに該当される一般名は，あまり知られていない．そのために，能率的な薬剤索引書は，日本の医師のみならず，米国の医師にも非常に大切であることを痛感した著者は，この本をバイリンガルでまとめることに努力した，
　この索引書は，5章からなる．第1章では，薬品の一般名をアルファベット順に記載し，それに該当する米国薬剤商品名と日本薬剤商品名を並列した．第2章では，日本薬剤商品名をアルファベット順に記載し，それに該当する米国薬剤商品名と薬品一般名を並列した．第3章では，米国薬剤商品名をアルファベット順に記載し，それに該当する日本薬剤商品名と薬品一般名を並列した．第4章では，日本で発売されていない米国薬剤の一般名をアルファベット順に記載し，米国商品薬剤名を列記した．最後の第5章では，米国で発売されていない日本薬剤の一般名をアルファベット順に記載し，その日本商品薬剤名を列記した．
　この書を作成するにあたり，日米薬剤名の解明について援助してくださったアズウエル社薬剤情報センター（大阪）笠原伸元氏ならびにホノルル・クイーン・メディカルセンターのダニー・チェン氏に深い感謝の意を表したい．
　神戸六甲山麓にて　平成13年3月　中野次郎

Preface

　In the recent years，as a globalization of countries all over the world has developed，the number of the travellers abroad has increased astronomically.For instance，a large number of Japanese tourists visit the U.S.A.on business as well as sight-seeing.Not infrequently，they happened to succumb to acute illness like diarrhea and infectious diseases or sustained accidental trauma，or suddenly experienced the worsening of longstanding diseases.Consequenly，They are often obliged to have medical services in a hospital outpatient clinic or medical office in foreign towns.
　From my past45years' living in the U.S.A.，I received medical trainings as an intern and medical resident and engaged in teaching Clinical Medicine and in basic research in Cardiovascular Pharmacology as a faculty member at the four universities.After retiring from the medical school，I was engaged in private medical practice in Hawaii.About five years ago，I returned to Japan to render my medical services to foreigners at the International Division of the Kobe Kaisei Hospital，Kobe，Japan.
　During the long years in the U.S．And in the recent years in Japan，I have seen many Japanese and U.S．Citizens and come to realize how important to obtain medical informations especially regarding drugs made and used in U.S.A.and in Japan.It has been well documented statistically that most elederly Japanese are taking average six kinds of drugs for various reasons.This is called “kusuriduke（polypharmacy in medical terminology）” in Japan.Most Japanese patients，however，rarely know the names of the prescribed drugs which they are taking daily because of a number of reasons such as poor informed-consent，free medication by national medical insurance，traditional paternalism and no name written on the surface of drug containers.Even when the name of the trade names on the drug packages，the U.S．Doctors will be unable to find either generic names nor the U.S．Trade names because of the lack of reference books on Japanese drugs.
　A U.S．Doctor happened to see a Japanese tourist with a bagful drugs，he will have a nightmare considerable stress，because it is very difficult to acertain whether the patient' illness is due to the de novo illness or to the drug side effects due to polypharmacy.Most doctors have a limited time allowed for one patient so that he had find the names of the drugs as soon as possible.His stress will multiply when he could not identify the generic names of the drugs carried by the tourist because no Japan-U.S．Drug concordance book has not been available.
　A couple years ago，a U.S．Diplomat came to see me at the International Division，the Kobe Kaisei Hospital.He had a cholesterol lowering drug which was prescribed by a primary physician at his home town.After arrival in Osaka，as the drug is running low，he frantically seek equivalent drugs in Japan，and visited several clinics in Osaka and its vicinity prior to coming to our Division.Several Japanese doctors whom he went to see could not help him because they did not have neither PDR or any other drug concordance lists.When I saw Provachol on the label，I knew its generic name is paravastatin，and the Japanese trade name Mevalotin，one of the most popular drugs in Japan.When I gave him a prescription for Mevalotin and explained to him as identical with Provachol，he was grateful to me for my small service.
　Shortly after the Great Hanshin Earthquake in January 1997，I happened to encounter unfortunate experience.The U.S．Pharmaceutical companies generously sent a large quantity of U.S．Drugs with trade names to help the shortage of emergency drugs in Kobe.The city office asked several doctors to identify the names of the drugs，but，belive or not，none of them could find the generic names，thus their actions.When I was called to got to see the depot in the city，all drugs were gone，because they were transferred to unknown destination because of the storage problem.Later，some friends told me that they were sent to the developing countries in the South-East Asia.It was such a great pity that the drug names were not identified to use the emergency care for people in Kobe who were seeking medical helps so desperately.
　For the past five years，while rendering medical services at the Kobe Kaisei Hospital，we heard not infrequent incidents in which the U.S．Drugs were not identified，and the U.S．Citizens had to ask their doctors in the U.S．To refill their medications.
　From these unfortunate experiences，I have been compel to have the U.S.-Japan Drug Concordance List or Book as soon as possible.Many dotors in Hawaii and California who render medical care to Japanese inhabitants and/or tourists asked me to write the concordance.I have experienced considerable difficulties because of this sort of publications from many reasons.I managed to compile as many drugs as possible by consulting U.S．Pharmacopeia，Merck Manual，Merck Index，Medical letter，Physicians' Drug References in English，and Today's Drug，Japanese Drug Dictionary and other textbooks in Japanese.
　I was happy with some mixed feeling of inadequacy to finish this corcordance book.
　This book consists of five chapters in which drug names were listed for convenience of both U.S．And Japanese doctors to find the names of the drugs as quick and convenient as possible.In the First Chapter，I listed generic names of U.S．And Japan drugs alphabetically，and listed the equivalent U.S．And Japan trade names alongside.In the Second Chapter，Japanese trade drug names are listed alphabetically and U.S．Drug names and generic names alongside.In the Third Chapter，the U.S．Drug names are listed alphabetically and equivarent Japan drug names and generic drug names alongside.
　In the Fourth Chapter，the generic names of the U.S．Trade names which are currently unused in Japan are listed alphabetically and U.S．Trade names alongside.
　In the last（Fifth） Chapter，the generic names of the Japan drug trade names which are currently unused in the U.S.A are listed alphabetically and Japan drug trade names alongside.
　On writing this corcordance book，I am indebted to Dr.Nobumoto Kasahara，Director，Drug Information Center，Azwell Co.，Osaka and Mr.Danny Cheung，Pharmacy Director，Queen's Medical Center，Honolulu for invaluable information on Japanese drugs.
　March，2001　Jiro Nakano，M.D.，FACP，FACC