Obtain Chemical Identities for Your WHO INN Submissions from CAS

Question 1

I am new at my company and taking over the INN submission process. I have requests from WHO for updates and need updates made to the CAS REGISTRY® record for our substances. How do I request that?

Answer

CAS Registry Services is committed to maintaining confidentiality for its submitters, so if you are not the original submitter, CAS Registry Services requires additional documentation authorizing you as the responsible party for the order. That documentation can be an email from the original submitter authorizing you to discuss the order, or, if the original submitter is no longer with your company, an email indicating that and confirming you have assumed responsibility for the order. Once that documentation is provided, you can make your request, and CAS Registry Services will review the order and make any needed updates.

Question 2

I just obtained a new CAS Registry Number and CA Index Name for the free acid form of my product. Can I use this number and name for any salted forms of my product?

Answer

No. Each CAS Registry Number designates one unique substance. The free acid form and the salted form are considered different and unique, so each receives its own CAS Registry Number and its own CA Index Name. The same applies to more complex cases, such as antibody-drug conjugates: swapping out a linker creates a different substance requiring a different CAS RN and CA Index Name.

Question 3

What information does CAS publish regarding our substance?

Answer

What is published is the chemically descriptive CA Index Name assigned to your substance. Depending on the substance type, this may include nomenclature identifying starting materials, feedstocks, or specific processes involved in the synthesis. Depending on the type of substance, a defined structure or sequence may also be included with the CAS Registry Number record in the substance database.

Question 4

When I initially made my request, I asked that the sequence be suppressed, but I would like to have it added now. What do I do?

Answer

Submit a new request using the consultation web form. On the form, include the details of what you are requesting, specifically that you want to unmask a sequence, and the CAS Registry Number you would like it unmasked on. Include the original order information in the special instructions box at the bottom of the form and attach the original results you received from the order that generated that CAS Registry Number.

Question 5

When I placed my order, I asked for a CA Index Name only, but now I want the CAS RN to be assigned. How do I do that?

Answer

Submit a new web form and check the box for CAS Registry Number assignment. In your attachments, include a copy of your order results and indicate the original order number in the special instructions box, so CAS Registry Services will know you want to receive a CAS Registry Number.

Question 6

I received results from my CAS Registry Services order earlier this year, but I have been searching the CAS website and other internet sources and cannot find the CAS Registry Number you gave me. Why?

Answer

CAS Registry Numbers and the entirety of the CAS REGISTRY are only available through subscription to CAS products, such as CAS SciFinder®. They are not freely available on the internet or in databases not controlled or owned by CAS.

Question 7

I requested a new CAS Registry Number for my substance, but my order results came back with an already-existing CAS RN. Why?

Answer

Each unique substance is assigned a single CAS Registry Number. When CAS Registry Services receives your order, CAS Registry Services reviews your substance information, and if it matches an existing CAS Registry Number, CAS Registry Services delivers that existing number to you. So even if you selected "assignment of a new CAS Registry Number," CAS Registry Services will use the existing number and provide it with your results. That number will be the correct identification for your substance.

Question 8

May I send a ChemDraw file or a Microsoft Word file with the web form?

Answer

Yes. ChemDraw and Word files both work, as do PDF, Excel, and PowerPoint files. Include all the necessary information for your substance with your submitted web form so that processing is not delayed by follow-up clarifying questions.

Question 9

Do I need a specific CAS RN for my substance to include in my INN submission?

Answer

A CAS Registry Number specific to your substance, including the specific sequence for your substance, will be required for your submission.

Question 10

I found a CAS RN for my substance while searching CAS SciFinder. It was associated with a patent my company filed, but it only contains a CA Index Name and no sequence or modification details. Can I just use that CAS RN in my INN filing?

Answer

When CAS indexes published scientific literature, a CAS Registry Number generated from that source only contains the source information. If the substance you plan to submit to WHO for an INN has a specific sequence or modifications that were not included in that published source, contact CAS Registry Services so that CAS Registry Services can help ensure the appropriate CAS Registry Number and CA Index Name are assigned to your substance.

Question 11

How can I select the unique identifier?

Answer

The unique identifier can be an internal code or a trade name. If you are submitting a biologic, make sure the identifier is something you are comfortable with, since it may be incorporated into the CA Index Name for your product. For biologics, the identifier can be used to distinguish a sequence-containing substance from a similar substance by name.

Question 12

While searching CAS SciFinder, I think I found the CAS RN I need, but I need something official for my submission. Should I still use the CAS Registry Services consultation?

Answer

Yes. Use the consultation service, because it includes a chemistry review of your substance information, confirming that you are receiving the correct CAS Registry Number that matches the substance you submit to WHO. The consultation also produces an official results letter with the CAS Registry Number and CA Index Name, which you can include in your submission to WHO for the INN or to a different regulatory agency where it should satisfy those requirements.

Question 13

Can you expedite my order?

Answer

CAS Registry Services consultation service does not offer an expedited option. All orders submitted through this service have a ten-business-day turnaround time.

Question 14

Can I obtain a confidential CAS Registry Number, or is it possible for a CAS RN to be kept confidential?

Answer

CAS Registry Numbers are not confidential. As soon as one is assigned, it becomes publicly available within the CAS REGISTRY database and accessible to anyone who subscribes to CAS products. If you have concerns about confidentiality related to your substance identity, you can request a CA Index Name only on the web form. If that is your preference, do not check the CAS Registry Number assignment box on the web form. You can always come back later, once you have determined there are no confidentiality concerns, to have a CAS Registry Number assigned.

Obtain Chemical Identities for Your WHO INN Submissions from CAS

About this webinar

What you will learn

Q&A

Meet our panel of experts

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Obtain Chemical Identities for Your WHO INN Submissions from CAS

About this webinar

What you will learn

Q&A

I am new at my company and taking over the INN submission process. I have requests from WHO for updates and need updates made to the CAS REGISTRY® record for our substances. How do I request that?

I just obtained a new CAS Registry Number and CA Index Name for the free acid form of my product. Can I use this number and name for any salted forms of my product?

What information does CAS publish regarding our substance?

When I initially made my request, I asked that the sequence be suppressed, but I would like to have it added now. What do I do?

When I placed my order, I asked for a CA Index Name only, but now I want the CAS RN to be assigned. How do I do that?

I received results from my CAS Registry Services order earlier this year, but I have been searching the CAS website and other internet sources and cannot find the CAS Registry Number you gave me. Why?

I requested a new CAS Registry Number for my substance, but my order results came back with an already-existing CAS RN. Why?

May I send a ChemDraw file or a Microsoft Word file with the web form?

Do I need a specific CAS RN for my substance to include in my INN submission?

I found a CAS RN for my substance while searching CAS SciFinder. It was associated with a patent my company filed, but it only contains a CA Index Name and no sequence or modification details. Can I just use that CAS RN in my INN filing?

How can I select the unique identifier?

While searching CAS SciFinder, I think I found the CAS RN I need, but I need something official for my submission. Should I still use the CAS Registry Services consultation?

Can you expedite my order?

Can I obtain a confidential CAS Registry Number, or is it possible for a CAS RN to be kept confidential?

Meet our panel of experts

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