# Some Light COVID News for a change -- Name That Drug ! Not Bamlanivimab! **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [November 10, 2020, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228 "2020-11-10T15:33:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/1 "2020-11-10T15:33:28Z")
> [@](#): > > The FDA [granted emergency authorization](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fda-authorizes-emergency-use-covid-antibody-drug_n_5fa9df56c5b67c3259b224a0) to a new treatment for patients with the COVID-19 [coronavirus](https://www.huffpost.com/news/topic/coronavirus) infection this week. The drug is a monoclonal antibody therapy approved for mild to moderate infections in patients over the age of 12. > > But people are having a hard time getting past one part of the experimental medication from Eli Lilly. It’s the name: > > **Bamlanivimab.** > **[People Really Can't Get Over The Name Of The Newly Approved Coronavirus Drug](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bamlanivimab-coronavirus-drug-name_n_5faa4b07c5b6f21920df57df)** > > They named it what?!? Really? Bamlanivimab? How do they generate these names? It sounds like someone was trying to generate a palindrome, but screwed up at the last second. Read the comments at the link Surely someone on this Board can suggest something better ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/2 "2020-11-10T15:42:47Z")
“Bambi”–references the drug name, mother died (could have been COVID; we’ll never know). ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/3 "2020-11-10T15:44:01Z")
I can’t be the only person who reads that name and think: ``` ♪Black Betty Bamlanivimab♫ ``` ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/4 "2020-11-10T15:47:53Z")
Little Richard would be proud. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/5 "2020-11-10T16:11:52Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > I can’t be the only person who reads that name and think: > > ```auto > ♪Black Betty > Bamlanivimab♫ > > ``` Indeed, you can’t. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/6 "2020-11-10T16:57:19Z")
Novid? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/7 "2020-11-10T23:06:03Z")
My working theory for a while has been that they dump a couple of sets of Scrabble tiles into a bag, yank out a handful, and create the best name they can from their randomly selected tiles. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/8 "2020-11-10T23:07:23Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > ```auto > Black Betty > Bamlanivimab > > ``` You’re definitely not. This person posted similar on Twitter yesterday. [https://twitter.com/scarredempire/status/1325958375801118721](https://twitter.com/scarredempire/status/1325958375801118721) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2020, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/9 "2020-11-11T01:39:50Z")
That’s probably actually a name they couldn’t use, due to the implcation that it would be _the_ treatment for COVID-19. There are rules about having any inherent meaning to the name of the drug (beyond that which describes its chemical makeup.) Speaking of which, is this the chemical (aka generic) name or the actual product name? It would be fine for the former, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2020, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/10 "2020-11-11T01:53:01Z")
They were so close… Why not Bamlanivi **nal** mab? or Bolton… ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2020, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/11 "2020-11-11T01:55:45Z")
Or if you’d like to possibly off 45, **Obamalanivimab.** ---
**Author:** ![moes\_lotion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@moes\_lotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moes_lotion)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2020, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/12 "2020-11-11T06:31:16Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > They were so close… That was the first thing I thought when I saw the name, palindromish but not palindromic. Maybe because while it will probably help with the effects, it will not slow the spread of the pandemic? ---
**Author:** ![Courk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@Courk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Courk)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2020, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/13 "2020-11-11T13:03:21Z")
Bamlanivimab would be the generic name. An oncology pharmacist once walked me through some of these med names. I think naming standards have changed somewhat, so this may not be 100% accurate, but from what I remember: These antibodies need to be created by some sort of organism. A lot of times mice are used. Those medications end in -momab (MOuse Monoclonal AntiBodies). Here’s more on Wikipedia about it: > **[Nomenclature of monoclonal antibodies](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomenclature_of_monoclonal_antibodies)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > The nomenclature of monoclonal antibodies is a naming scheme for assigning generic, or nonproprietary, names to monoclonal antibodies. An antibody is a protein that is produced in B cells and used by the immune system of humans and other vertebrate animals to identify a specific foreign object like a bacterium or a virus. Monoclonal antibodies are those that were produced in identical cells, often artificially, and so share the same target objec... ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2020, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/14 "2020-11-11T18:23:33Z")
Don’t get excited; that’s just the generic name. By the time we’re blanketed with TV ads for the drug, it’ll have an appealing Rx name like BlyssPluss or Totally Awesome Sweet Alabama Liquid Snake. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2020, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/15 "2020-11-11T19:32:07Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > By the time we’re blanketed with TV ads for the drug, it’ll have an appealing Rx name like BlyssPluss or Totally Awesome Sweet Alabama Liquid Snake. No it won’t If it’s like the other medicines I see advertised on the TV news, it’ll have a name indistinguishable from that of a Marvel comics super-villain, or a _kaiju_, or a distant planet from 1930s pulp science fiction. “Ask your doctor if Barugon\* is right for you! May cause rainbow swelling in some users.” \*Not to be confused with Baragon. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2020, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/16 "2020-11-11T19:37:28Z")
\*“I’d like some Bamalamadingdong” ---
**Author:** ![deltogre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deltogre/32/5041_2.png) [@deltogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltogre)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2020, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/17 "2020-11-11T20:27:22Z")
One of our local news anchors here in Columbus, Tracy Townsend, fought that bad boy for a full hour a few days ago when the news broke. They kept hitting her with the bump, and at one point she appeared to wipe real sweat from her brow, and said, “I’m gonna get that right. I am…” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2020, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/18 "2020-11-11T20:57:32Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > \*“I’d like some Bamalamadingdong” This **[sports dome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dome_at_America's_Center)** was built 25+ years ago in an attempt to lure an NFL team to St. Louis. After some false starts they eventually succeeded and what had been the Los Angeles Rams moved in. Of course the facility was immediately nicknamed the “rama lamba ding dome”. The fact the cheerleaders were informally called the “lambs” made it especially good. The dome still exists; the Rams and their lambs have long since left for gr$$ner pastures. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2020, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/19 "2020-11-11T21:02:47Z")
> [@deltogre](#): > > One of our local news anchors here in Columbus, Tracy Townsend, fought that bad boy for a full hour a few days ago when the news broke. They kept hitting her with the bump, and at one point she appeared to wipe real sweat from her brow, and said, “I’m gonna get that right. I am…” Stephen Colbert riffed on the name quite a bit on last night’s show. ---
**Author:** ![deltogre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deltogre/32/5041_2.png) [@deltogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltogre)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2020, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228/20 "2020-11-11T22:21:22Z")
They should have gotten the guy who named Skyrizi… Snoop Dogg. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-light-covid-news-for-a-change-name-that-drug-not-bamlanivimab/925228.md?page=2)