A British Approved Name (BAN) is the official, non-proprietary, or generic name given to a pharmaceutical substance, as defined in the British Pharmacopoeia (BP). The BAN is also the official name used in some countries around the world, because starting in 1953, proposed new names were evaluated by a panel of experts from WHO in conjunction with the BP commission  to ensure naming consistency worldwide (an effort leading to the International Nonproprietary Name system). There is also a British Approved Name (Modified) (BANM).