Which suffix is used to categorize bisphosphonates in the potency list?

Which suffix is used to categorize bisphosphonates in the potency list?

• A. -Nate
• B. -Dronate
• C. -Bone
• D. -Phate

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how naming conventions in a drug potency list group a class of drugs. Bisphosphonates are identified by their common ending, which in the context of this potency list is the suffix that appears at the end of most of their generic names. That suffix is -Nate, because many bisphosphonates end with -dronate (for example alendronate, risedronate, ibandronate, pamidronate, zoledronate), and the list uses the shorter -nate ending to categorize all of them as belonging to this class. The other endings don’t serve as the standard grouping cue for this list: -Dronate would be a more specific stem, while -Bone and -Phate aren’t used to classify this drug family.

The idea being tested is how naming conventions in a drug potency list group a class of drugs. Bisphosphonates are identified by their common ending, which in the context of this potency list is the suffix that appears at the end of most of their generic names. That suffix is -Nate, because many bisphosphonates end with -dronate (for example alendronate, risedronate, ibandronate, pamidronate, zoledronate), and the list uses the shorter -nate ending to categorize all of them as belonging to this class. The other endings don’t serve as the standard grouping cue for this list: -Dronate would be a more specific stem, while -Bone and -Phate aren’t used to classify this drug family.