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pharma naming
The Readge blog
Looking to navigate the complex world of drug naming with more confidence? The Readge Blog offers insights into regulatory naming, branding and strategy - from INN and brand name approval to risk management and portfolio strategies.
You’ll find:
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Practical tips for avoiding rejection by EMA, FDA and WHO
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World wide examples of what works (and what doesn’t)
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Strategies for building a strong, compliant name system
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Articles and perspectives from experts around the world
Whether you're naming your first product or managing an entire portfolio, our blog gives you useful and instructive information.
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Brand strategy: Novo Nordisk becomes Novo: a shorter name, a bigger promise
Novo Nordisk is rebranding as Novo, dropping “Nordisk” from its day-to-day corporate identity. More than a cosmetic refresh, the move appears to reposition the Danish pharmaceutical company as a broader health brand. The legal name Novo Nordisk will remain, but Novo will be used in everyday communications. Even the familiar Apis bull in the logo is being turned around, symbolising a new direction. From a brand-strategy perspective, the shorter name is simpler, more internatio
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
2 min read
Greener medicines: brand strategy or business necessity?
Most doctors would like to take environmental impact into account when prescribing medicines, but few know how to translate that intention into everyday clinical practice. Research led by University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) found that more than 90% of the 440 participating doctors were willing to prescribe more sustainable medicines. Yet environmental considerations currently play only a limited role in prescribing decisions. The main barriers are a lack of accessible
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
3 min read
Why share of attention matters for pharma brands
A physician deciding between two treatments in the same indication rarely consults a single source. In one research session, they might move through a journal article, a manufacturer's product page, a congress recap, and increasingly, a medical AI platform like OpenEvidence. Share of Attention measures how that research time splits across competing brands, the percentage of a physician's total research time spent on a given brand versus its competitors. It's a leading indicat
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
2 min read
Know the Pharma Basics: difference between INN and USAN
An International Nonproprietary Name (INN) is the official generic, nonproprietary name given to a pharmaceutical substance or active pharmaceutical ingredient. Each INN is unique, globally recognized and public property. WHO works closely with INN experts and national nomenclature committees to select a single internationally acceptable name for each pharmaceutical substance. To reduce the risk of confusion and medication errors, trademarks should not be derived from INNs or
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
2 min read
Ever Wonder How Drugs Get Their Names?
Naming medications is not a simple process. It's a collaborative, conscientious effort, involving multiple stakeholders and hurdles. Pfizer gives a peek behind the curtain and considers the naming process to be both an art and a science. Just as all potential drugs go through rigorous safety assessments during their development, so do their names. That’s why a single name for a drug candidate can take years to get approval from regulatory authorities, in an entirely separate
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
3 min read
FDA Brand Name Approval: What the Updated Proprietary Name Review Procedure Means for Pharmaceutical Companies
A pharmaceutical brand name is not accepted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration simply because it is distinctive, memorable or available as a trademark. In the United States, a proposed proprietary name is evaluated as part of the product’s medication-safety and regulatory review. FDA’s updated MAPP 6720.2 Rev. 2, effective August 8, 2024, explains how the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research handles name-review requests submitted under INDs, NDAs, BLAs, supplements a
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
3 min read
DCGI Approval In India: A Complete Guide To Drug Regulations, Clinical Trials, & Patient Safety
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) heads the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), overseeing DCGI approval in India, regulation, and quality standards of drugs and clinical trials. As the national regulatory authority, DCGI ensures patient safety and compliance with the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. DCGI in the Indian pharmaceutical and medical device industries is among the world’s most regulated, and rightly so. The products these businesses produ
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
3 min read
What story does your brand tell your audience?
A brand narrative is a concise, strategic document that acts as the road map for an organization’s marketing and communications efforts, providing a framework for communicating the brand’s essence to its customers. As “storytelling” has become increasingly ubiquitous, the importance of this exercise has grown exponentially.After all, marketing is just telling a story to an audience in an effective and compelling way. A strategic brand narrative is simply an account of how to
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
4 min read
Why even good pharma names can fail
A strong pharmaceutical name is not the one everyone likes in the first meeting. It is the one that survives the process. In pharmaceutical naming, the strongest name is not always the first favourite. It is the name that survives review. Many pharmaceutical names start with enthusiasm.A shortlist is presented. One name feels right. It sounds modern, distinctive and relevant. The internal team likes it. Marketing likes it. Sometimes even senior management becomes attached to
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
3 min read
The name is the shortest brand narrative
Before a pharmaceutical brand can tell its story, it needs a name that can carry it. Pharmaceutical branding often regards the brand narrative as if it starts with the campaign. The story. The promise. The message. The way the brand explains its relevance to healthcare professionals, patients and internal teams. But in reality, the narrative starts earlier. Why pharmaceutical naming should start where every strong brand story begins: with strategic c
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
4 min read
AI has entered pharma naming. Now the real work begins.
A recent EMA acceptance of an AI-supported pharmaceutical brand name is not the end of human naming expertise. It is proof of why that expertise matters. In April 2026, Brand Institute announced that the European Medicines Agency had approved a pharmaceutical product brand name developed with the support of its proprietary AI-powered naming platform, Brandi™. The name itself will only be disclosed after approval of the corresponding medicinal product. At first glance, this so
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
5 min read
Brand strategy and rebranding
Novo Nordisk recognises that Ozempic has become a true cultural phenomenon and is therefore dropping the name Rybelsus in favour of the better-known brand Ozempic The semaglutide franchise is changing up its branding as Novo Nordisk, seeing the cultural phenomenon that has become Ozempic, is retiring the Rybelsus name in favor of its better-known brand Ozempic. Meet the “Ozempic pill,” a newly tweaked formulation of Novo’s Type 2 diabetes tablet Rybelsus, which is slightly s
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
2 min read
Brand Portfolio management
We regularly receive enquiries about developing a brand portfolio, which should include all existing brands as well as those introductions planned in the late stage pipeline. As an example of a good brand portfolio strategy, Novartis uses a focused yet diversified brand portfolio approach designed to maximize growth, reduce risk, and maintain leadership across key therapeutic areas: Core Strategy: Novartis concentrates on five core therapeutic areas: cardiovascular, immunolog
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
2 min read
Using the corporate brand in pharma
During covid19 there were several vaccines on the market, the best known being Comirnaty. Everyone knew it, as it was widely written about and administered, but few knew that this vaccine was from Pfizer and BioNTech. BioNTech was the creator and initial developer of the mRNA vaccine, and Pfizer joined from an early stage as a strategic development and collaboration partner for large-scale production and global distribution. A missed opportunity for manufacturers' brand aware
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
2 min read
How sustainable are branded generics?
Branded generics are delivering great growth and profitability in emerging markets, but how much longer can they continue to do so? A new...
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
5 min read
Drug Name Confusion: why you need professional naming
original article by Kathleen Doheny on Medscape Medical News / Drug Name Confusion: More Than 80 New Drug Pairs Added to the List -...
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
5 min read
How drugmakers come up with evocative brand names like Viagra and Lunesta
There’s an art and a science to naming pharmaceutical drugs. When you pick up a prescription of Viagra, Lunesta, Advair, or Paxlovid , y...
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
5 min read
Help to find a new name for the monkeypox virus
A group of global experts convened by WHO has agreed on new names for monkeypox virus variants, as part of ongoing efforts to align the...
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
2 min read
How Do Drugs Get Named?
Drug names are the product of complex, multiparty negotiations in which the needs and desires of various stakeholders (patients, pharmaceutical firms, physicians, pharmacists, other health care professionals, and US and international regulators) must be balanced. Since the 1960s, the United States Adopted Names Program has been assigning generic (nonproprietary) names to all active drug ingredients sold in the United States. Pharmaceutical names are assigned according to a sc
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
7 min read
Sanofi launches Impact® brand of medicines for low-income countries
Sanofi Global Health — a nonprofit unit of Sanofi set up in 2021 — has launched Impact®, a new brand of standard of care medicines...
pharmanaming.com by Readge consultants
2 min read
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