'atebrin' originates as a proprietary/trade name coined in the early 20th century for the synthetic antimalarial now known as mepacrine (or 'quinacrine').

'atebrin' derived from older trade-name variants such as 'atabrine' and became attached to the chemical name 'mepacrine'/'quinacrine' in medical usage; over time the trade name has been used generically to refer to the drug.

Initially it served primarily as a brand name for a specific product; over time it came to be used as a general name for the drug (and now is mainly a historical/medical term).