Very many different drugs are used to treat heart disease, yet they all
belong to a few main types. Within each category the drugs are very similar,
but even minor variations may be important for some people. With this
variety of drugs to choose from the doctor can choose one drug rather than
another so as to suit the needs of an individual patient.
A single drug may also have a number of different names. Each drug
has one official (or “generic”) name but it may also be prescribed under one
or more trade (or “proprietary”) names. Occasionally two drugs are
combined in a single proprietary preparation.