Are there departments in all drug companies whose job it is to name new drugs? How do they come up with these names? Is there a web site that will explain the method that is used to name new new drugs?
Yes, it’s a complete mystery, kinda.
Are you talking about generic or brand names? Generic names usually come from taking parts of the full chemical name. I’d assume marketing comes up with brand names. Some aren’t that hard to figure out. Allopecia is the medical term for balding, hence Propecia as rememdy for baldness. Psych drugs are especially fun. Aratax, an antihistamine used for anxiety and tension is derived from the word arataxy, meaning a state of calm. Halcion is an alternate spelling for halcyon. Paxil comes from the Latin word pax, meaning “peace”. Sinequan comes from another Latin phrase sine qua non, “Without which, there is none.” Then we have our good friend, Valium who celebrates his fortieth birthday this month and was derived from the Latin word for stength. Remeron=remedy. Effexor from effective. I better stop now.
And premarin comes from “pregnant mare’s urine” from which the hormone is isolated.
Just hope you don’t end up taking “Zombinol.”
Generally, brand names are derived from linguistic principles of phonetics and semantics. In essence, phonemes have meanings attached to them (which is the reason The Jabberwocky still creates a vivid image despite being made of mostly nonsense words). These linguistic principles are used to communicate (whether on a conscious or unconscious level), the effectiveness, quickness, or other qualities the producers want you to think of when you hear the name.
Isn’t Viagra’s new generic name Mycoxafloppin? or Ibepokin?
The marketing department makes a list of names, and then medical market rsearchers conduct surveys and focus groups to see what is more appealing.
I don’t know about the generic names, but for the brand names, most companies either turn to their marketing departments or outside consultants for naming ideas. In general, they want a name that evokes images that are positively associated with the effects of the drug (Viagra - life, vigor, growth).
Until recently, many companies chose brand names that were similar to the generic names (Dimatapp / Dimatane, for example), but this has been changing. This thinking nowadays is that since anyone will be able to produce the drug once the generic version is available, it’s in the original maker’s best interest to make the brand name (which is the one that everyone will know) as different as possible from the generic name (which is what other companies will have to use).