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Striking a Balance: Understanding the imperatives, nuances and requirements of naming proprietary drugsJune 2015

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Without a doubt, in the world of product naming, the most difficult and involved endeavor is naming drugs, compounds, and molecules, which are intended to be used commercially.

There are many reasons why extra care and consideration needs to be taken when attaching “ownable language” to a product’s name, and in the medical field, the issue is acutely focused on striking a balance — that is, finding a suitable balance between names that are unique and those that could be seen as confusing.

To be sure, in 2013, New England Journal of Medicine published an article which highlighted the abundance of names beginning with the letters “X” and “Z” that have emerged in the pharmaceutical marketplace – names like: Xofigo, Xtandi, Xalkori, Xgeva, Xarelto, Zaltrap, Zytiga, Zelboraf, Zioptan, and Zometa.

To this end, in 2014 the FDA released revised guidelines that offer new direction in how names should be conceived, developed and evaluated so that they are aligned with, and conform to FDA standards and marketplace norms.

These guidelines were established to help product marketers and naming specialists avoid some pitfalls that could ultimately lead to the rejection of proprietary name candidates by, for example: 1) Avoiding obvious similarities with existing products, 2) understanding the naming implications of brand extensions, 3) properly using product modifiers in drug naming, 4) naming products that are transitioning fromprescription to OTC.

In the end, the goal and the primary focus of the FDA is to establish a systematic, standardized, and transparent approach to proprietary name development in order to reduce medical errors that might arise as result of confusion stemming from the product’s name.

New England Journal of Medicine cites a growing number of names that begin with “X” and “Z.”

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“There are many reasons why extra care and consideration needs to be taken when attaching ‘ownable language’ to a product’s name, and in the medical field, the issue is acutely focused on striking a balance...”

About usCDG NYC is a design-driven brand consultancy that is part of Conran Design Group and Havas Health and operates in North America. Our clients span a broad range of sectors such as: Health & Wellness, Hospitality, Animal Health, Telecom and Consumer Packaged Goods.

CDG NYC helps brands connect with their audiences in a clear, credible and compelling manner.

As part of Conran Design Group, our heritage, spanning 57 years of brand and design consulting, is unrivalled. We are co-located in midtown New York and Camden Town, London, and serve clients across many continents.

CDG NYC

David Keefe Managing Partner/Author David is responsible for building and growing the branding and design offer in North America and internationally. A brand consulting veteran, after more than a decade at Landor and Siegel+Gale, David also worked in client-side marketing at Unilever and Time Warner. He brings a deep understanding of branding, in multiple industries, across strategy, naming, identity design and packaging.

Key brand work: Unilever, Comcast Xfinity, Walgreens, Roche, Verizon, breastcancer.org, Alcon, Deutsche Bank, Music Choice, Zoetis, Citi

Education:BA, Duke University

MBA, University of North Carolina