The 2015 Drug Naming Awards
It’s that glamorous time of the year again. The awards season: the Globes, the Grammys, the Emmys, and the granddaddy of them all, the Academy Awards.
So, why not the Drug Naming Awards? Hollywood has the Oscars, and now Drug Naming has––ahem––the Monikers. With a nod to the Oscars, the Monikers are awards honoring all the different kinds of drug names approved over the past year. The nominees are from CDER’s 2014 list of new molecular entities (FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research). This year there are a whopping 41 drug name “nominations” across nine (tongue-in-cheek) categories.
With more FDA drug approvals in 2014 than any other year since 1996, drug-naming practitioners would agree that the industry benefits from a celebratory moment. Even though most drug names are not big stars like Viagra and Prozac, the awards make it apparent that even the “little-guy” drug names are created with the same vigor and creative logic as the big guys. It’s also an opportunity to illustrate that drug names, as inscrutable as they sometimes appear, are often the first manifestation of the hope and healing that biopharma companies so rigorously aim to deliver to physicians, patients and caregivers worldwide.
Will LYNPARZA win Best Actress? Can JUBLIA beat out STRIVARDI for Best Song/Sound Editing? Is OFEV a lock for Best Short Film?
Roll out the red carpet. Lights. Cameras. ACTION!
The 2015 Drug Naming Awards
• Best Cinematography
(Awarded to the new drug name with unique and flexible visual appeal.
Past winner: Xanax.)
WINNER:
OPDIVO (nivolumab) | BMS
Oncology (PD-1 inhibitor)
Nominees: OPDIVO, OTEZLA, SYLVANT, VIMIZIN, XTORO
• Best Editing
(Awarded to the new drug name that best links to its generic, non-proprietary name.
Past winner: Rituxan.)
WINNER: DALVANCE (dalbavancin) | Durata
Antibiotic
Nominees: BELEODAQ, BLINCYTO, DALVANCE, MYALEPT, ZYDELIG
• Best Foreign Film
(Awarded to the new drug name that is either hard to pronounce, difficult to understand, or visually inelegant. Past winner: Tysabri.)
WINNER: AKYNZEO (netupitant / palonosetron) | Eisai/Hellsin
Emesis–chemo induced
Nominees: AKYNZEO, ENTYVIO, HETLIOZ, NEURACEQ
• Best Original Song/Sound Edit
(Awarded to the new drug name that is rhythmically pleasing or music-related.
Past winner: Lyrica.)
WINNER: STRIVERDI Respimat (olodaterol) | Boehringer Ingelheim
Lung Disease
Nominees: ESBRIET, JUBILA, STRIVARDI, TRULICITY
• Best Short Film
(Awarded to the new drug name that is short and impactful. Past winner: Z-Pak.)
WINNER: OFEV (nintedanib) | Boehringer Ingelheim
Lung Disease
Nominees: OFEV (no other nominees)
• Best Direction
(Awarded to the new drug name that best “tells a story,” or that best aligns with the drug’s indication and brand positioning. Past winner: Ambien.)
WINNER: NORTHERA (droxidopa) | Chelsea/Lundbeck
Hypotension (NOR epinephrine supplementation)
Nominees: BELSOMRA, MOVANTIK, NORTHERA, TANZEUM, RAPIVAB
• Best Actress
(Awarded to the new drug name that has the best feminine look & feel.
Past winner: Iressa.)
WINNER: LYNPARZA (olaparib) | AstraZeneca
Oncology (PARP inhibitor)
Nominees: CERDELGA, CYRAMZA, LYNPARZA, ZERBAXA, ZYKADIA
• Best Actor
(Awarded to the new drug name that has high levels of publicity and projected sales.
Past winner: Celebrex.)
WINNER: HARVONI (ledipasvir / sofosbuvir) | Gilead
Hepatitis C
Nominees: FARXIGA, HARVONI, JARDIANCE, KAYTRUDA
• Best Picture
(Awarded to the new drug name that is viewed as the best overall brand name.
Past winner: Viagra.)
WINNER: YOU CHOOSE! (see below.)
Nominees [41]: AKYNZEO, BELEODAQ, BELSOMRA, BLINCYTO, CERDELGA, CYRAMZA, DALVANCE, ENTYVIO, ESBRIET, FARXIGA, HARVONI, HETLIOZ, IMPAVIDO, JARDIANCE, JUBLIA, KERYDIN, KEYTRUDA, LUMASON, LYNPARZA, MOVANTIK, MYALEPT, NEURACEQ, NORTHERA, OFEV, OPDIVO, ORBACTIV, OTEZLA, PLEGRIDY, RAPIVAB, SIVEXTRO, STRIVERDI RESPIMAT, SYLVANT, TANZEUM, TRULICITY, VIEKIRA PAK, VIMIZIM, XTORO, ZERBAXA, ZONTIVITY, ZYDELIG, ZYKADIA)
I hope you enjoyed this playful look at drug naming as much as I did. Please let me know. And please pick your “best picture,” and make your case for the drug name/s that you feel are worthy of further praise or comment.
Many of the names qualified in several different award categories, but in order to spread the recognition around to as many names as possible, names were nominated in one category only. And like any awards, recognitions, or lists, the winners do not necessarily reflect the best creative efforts that drug-naming practitioners have to offer.
Interested in how the winners were selected?
Email (heading “Drug Naming Awards”) to info@garymartingroup.com,
or call 415-425-4273.
THE END
