If you have seen any TV or other online advertisements for medications you have probably noticed that many contain the letters found at the end of the alphabet. Letters like X and Z are particularly used and seem to make pronouncing the drug name difficult or even impossible. The new Pfizer drug for rheumatoid arthritis Xeljanz has both an X and a Z! But it is not necessarily obvious that the X should be pronounced as a Z. Are we confused yet? And, who is the target audience when they name the medication? Some people speculate that since the drug selectively blocks molecules known as Janus kinases doctors will see the word Jan and it will make sense. Really? It seems more likely that the patients will mention it to the doctor and not that the name will invoke chemical magic! It has also been suggested that X and Z are fricative consonants which make a word more fluid. It appears to me that trying to pronounce some of these drug names is more like a solid than a fluid!
But, we have been down this road before. About ten years ago we had the introduction of Zoloft, Zocor, and Zyban. And, now, the FDA has approved seven starting with X in the last two years. And although this post is a little “tongue in cheek” it is important to remember that pharmaceutical companies cannot simply just use any name for marketing purposes. There are companies that do nothing but name new products called branding companies. But for drugs, the proposed name must meet certain criteria before being approved by the FDA. For example, the name can’t be confused with another name or be too close to another name when handwritten. So despite the strange words, there are safeguards in place.
In addition, all drugs have at least two “real” names. There is the generic or chemical name and the brand name. Xanax is Alprazolam, Synthroid is Levothyroxine, and Tylenol 3 is Acetaminophen with Codeine. Even the OTC drugs like Advil and Motrin are really Ibuprofen. So, once again we go down the rabbit hole and wonder what the English language is becoming. I wonder what Max Kiss, a Hungarian immigrant was thinking in 1906 when he started selling Ex-Lax the chocolate treat with “some” side effects…
But, we have been down this road before. About ten years ago we had the introduction of Zoloft, Zocor, and Zyban. And, now, the FDA has approved seven starting with X in the last two years. And although this post is a little “tongue in cheek” it is important to remember that pharmaceutical companies cannot simply just use any name for marketing purposes. There are companies that do nothing but name new products called branding companies. But for drugs, the proposed name must meet certain criteria before being approved by the FDA. For example, the name can’t be confused with another name or be too close to another name when handwritten. So despite the strange words, there are safeguards in place.
In addition, all drugs have at least two “real” names. There is the generic or chemical name and the brand name. Xanax is Alprazolam, Synthroid is Levothyroxine, and Tylenol 3 is Acetaminophen with Codeine. Even the OTC drugs like Advil and Motrin are really Ibuprofen. So, once again we go down the rabbit hole and wonder what the English language is becoming. I wonder what Max Kiss, a Hungarian immigrant was thinking in 1906 when he started selling Ex-Lax the chocolate treat with “some” side effects…
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