15 Rx Drug Name Origins

Naming a new prescription drug is a long and complex process, costing upwards of $2.25 million.

“Coming up with a brand name used to be an afterthought,” said Bill Trombetta, professor of pharmaceutical marketing at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. “But today, pharmaceutical companies realize that they need to brand drugs as early as they can and build equity in that brand.”

By the time a drug has completed phase I clinical testing in humans, most companies are already working to develop a brand name.

To do so, drug manufacturers often work with branding agencies that use large databases to help them generate unique names. The generated names often use linguistic tricks such as plosive letters (P, T, D, K, Q, and hard C) to convey power, or fricative letters (X, F, S, or Z) to imply speed.

But authority over pharmaceutical trade names ultimately rests with the FDA and the US Patent and Trademark Office. The FDA prohibits names that imply efficacy or are associated with the intended indication.



As a result, marketers often look for names that subtly and indirectly convey an idea, suggesting improved quality of life. Still, the FDA fully rejects one-third of the hundreds of names proposed annually.

Here is a list of 15 commonly prescribed drugs with the origin of their name:



1. Ambien - Used as a sleeping aid, the word Ambien translates as “good morning” (AM = morning, Bien = good in Spanish).



2. Fosamax - Used for osteoporosis, or bone weakening. (Os = bone and max = great in Latin).



3. Flomax and Rapaflo - Used in men with an enlarged prostate to maximize urine output, or flow.

4. Flonase - Allergy medication that aims to stop nasal flow or discharge.

5. Lasix - Short for “lasts 6 hours” because of its 6-hour duration of action.

6. Levitra - Comes from the word “elevate” and for its sound of European elegance (le indicates masculinity in French, vitra suggests life and vitality).

7. Lopressor - Used to low er blood pressure.

8. Lunesta - Used to help sleeping (Luna = moon in Latin).

9. Macrobid - This formulation of Macrodantin is used twice daily (BID).

10. Penicillin - Coined by Alexander Fleming, the name was derived from the fungus Penicillium notatum whose important antibacterial properties were first noticed by Fleming. The name of the fungus comes from its shape which resembles a paintbrush, which in Latin is penicillus.



11. Tylenol - T races back to its chemical name “N-aceTYL-para-aminophENOL.”



12. Viagra - Named for its suggestion of vitality, virility, and virgor and because it rhymes with Niagra, signifying force and endurance. It is also theorized that the name was inspired by the Sanskrit word "vyaghra" which means tiger.



13. Vicodin - Its component hydrocodone is approximately 6 times as potent as codeine. Therefore, it is thought that the manufacturer named it VI (6 in roman numerals) times codin (codeine)



14. Warfarin - Derived from WARF (Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation) and –arin from coumarin. Most of the people involved in discovery of the original molecule were students of the University of Wisconsin.



15. Xarelto - Works by inhibiting Factor Xa in the clotting cascade

What other drug name origins are you familiar with? Tweet them @toshea125.

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