The right name for a new pharmaceutical can give a drug cachet. The wrong name can lead to serious medical errors. As a result, the drug-brand consulting industry has grown dramatically to help
companies name their products, with prices often running from $200,000 to $500,000.
It's the job of drug consultants to create a name that's not already taken, won't lead to medical
mix-ups, and can help cut through the marketing clutter. "A lot of it is more art than science," says William Trombetta, professor of pharmaceutical marketing at St. Joseph's University in
Philadelphia. Letters like Z, M or P express power and control, he says, while letters like S are more passive.
Drug names can suggest, but under FDA rules they can't come right out and
make medical claims. Take Viagra--the erectile-dysfunction drug made by Pfizer, for example. It uses the prefix "vi" to suggest vigor and vitality. The word rhymes with Niagara, suggesting a mighty
flow. "You know exactly what Pfizer was trying to say with that," says Andy Valvur, senior brand strategist at Igor, a San Francisco branding company.
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