FYI: How Does A Drug Get Its Name?
Viagra Wikimedia CommonsStreet names aside, who comes up with crazy non-words like Zyrtec, tenofovir and Xeljanz? Say it with me: Xeljanz. OK, at least try and say it with me. Shell-jance? Zell-johns? Ghel-yahns? Who knows. It's a new arthritis drug, and I have no idea how to pronounce it, but one thing is definitely clear: It could be worth billions for its maker, Pfizer. (That name you probably know how to say.) Though awkward to pronounce, Xeljanz is more memorable than its generic name, tofacitinib citrate. And it's much more noteworthy than its chemical name, some unpronounceable string of characters. When the patent expires on Xeljanz a long time from now, people will ask their doctors for tofacitinib citrate instead. Drugs, in other words, have at least three names. And coming up with these names, both a chemical name and its commercial brand, requires a drug name decoder. It's somewhat...