July 14, 2022

National Geographic and EVERSANA INTOUCH Expert Explain How Drugs Are Named

Nat Geo cover

The recent National Geographic article, “How drugmakers come up with evocative brand names like Viagra and Lunesta,” published in their Science section, quotes extensively from our own Suzanne Martinez, Group Director, Strategic Planning, EVERSANA INTOUCH Proto, who has experience working in naming prescription products.

“Naming is an art and a science,” Suzanne explains in the article. “Both sides of the brain go into it.”

However much you think you may already know about drug names, you’ll learn something in this fascinating article.

What does the FDA’s Phonetic and Orthographic Computerized Analysis (POCA) do? Why was Losec renamed to Prilosec? Which drug name is meant to evoke a post-Impressionist painter? And do you know the brand names of the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines?

All these answers and much more are in the fascinating article by Stacey Colino.