What are the naming conventions when creating prescription medicines? Why do we have names like Skyrizi, Lipitor, and Rybelsis?
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Whatever sounds nice and will market well. Sometimes they have a direct or vague connection to the actual chemical name. N-acetyl-para-aminophenol is called acetaminophen in the US and paracetamol in the UK, for example – not brand names, but still shows that they’re somewhat arbitrary
The INN or generic name has to follow certain rules – including that it has to end with a class identifying part, has to be distinct from other drugs so that it won’t be confused (that can be complicated across different languages). Brand names are more about simple, memorable, but also not confusingly similar to other drugs – and there are a lot of different drugs, so it’s difficult to find a name and name agencies make a lot of money…
A lot of the time, the generic names have certain prefixes, middle parts, and suffixes that relate to the function and structure of the drug.
For example, the drug apixaban is a factor Xa inhibitor in the clotting cascade. Basically, it interacts with a particle in the body and prevents clots from forming. Note the name: api-xa-ban. Other drugs in this class have -xa- in the middle as well.
The issue here is that these names can get long, so companies come up with easier to pronounce names. For example, it’s a lot easier to say Paxlovid than it is to say nirmatrelvir-ritonavir.
Most of the time, drug names fit into [categories](https://denalirx.com/drug-prefix-root-and-suffix/), although my understanding is that these categories will be changing soon. Not something you have to worry about if you’re not in medicine/pharmacy
You folks are great! Thanks to everyone who answered. I have a much better understanding now.
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