Using this site
Searching medicine names in Bangla and English
This site has an English and a Bangla version, but the medicine names themselves come from the DGDA registry, where they are written in English letters. This guide explains what that means for searching and how to find a medicine quickly.
Names stay as they are in the registry
The Bangla version of this site, under /bn, translates the page text: headings, buttons, labels and explanations. Names come straight from the data and are not translated. Brand names, generic names and manufacturer names are shown as they appear in the DGDA registry snapshot used on this site, which means in English letters. Hospital, pharmacy and place names are shown as they appear in OpenStreetMap.
Search medicines in English letters
Because medicine names are stored in English letters, medicine search matches English spelling. A name typed in Bangla script, for example the brand name written in Bangla letters, will not find the product. Type the name as it is printed on the pack in English instead.
- Capital letters do not matter: "PARACETAMOL" and "paracetamol" give the same results.
- You can type the beginning of a word. Each word you type is matched against the start of words in the brand name, strength and generic name, so "para" finds products whose generic is paracetamol.
- Search needs at least two characters.
- Spaces inside a brand name, or between a brand and its strength, can usually be left out.
- If no product matches every word you typed, search tries again with your first word only.
Type numbers with English digits
Strengths in the registry use English digits, such as "500 mg". Bangla digits are not converted, so a search with "৫০০" will not match "500". Use the digits 0 to 9 when you add a strength to your search. This site also shows numbers in English digits on the Bangla pages, so they match what you see on the pack.
Tips if you know a name only by sound
- Try the first three or four letters of the English spelling; you will see every brand that starts that way.
- Try more than one spelling if you are not sure how the name is written in English.
- Search the generic name instead of the brand, if you know it.
- Browse brands alphabetically and scan the letter the name starts with.
- Ask the pharmacist to show you the name printed on the pack.
Hospitals, pharmacies and places
Hospital and pharmacy search works the same way, matching the start of words. Some districts and areas also have a Bangla name recorded in the location data, so a Bangla place name may work; if it does not, try the English spelling. In the site search, common older English spellings of place names, such as Dacca for Dhaka or Chittagong for Chattogram, are recognised as the same place.