Who names all these drugs

[Opiyum]

Is there any rhyme or reason when it comes to nameing pharmacueticals? Some make sense like Heroin made Henreich feel Heroic, and naming Morphium after Morpheous(of course changed to morphine as we now know it) but I'm more interested in more recent namings.

I guess it's the foundation(at least in the case of opiates) that makes sense but its that first thru fiftieth floor that I dont get.

[chemboy7]

There is a rhyme and reason behind the chemical names of drugs yes, and sometimes in the brand names also... but mostly no. The naming of drugs is big business, in fact, the patent on the name of a drug is often times more profitable than the patent for the drug itself. There are ppl that get paid big bucks to just sit around and think of catchy, medical sounding names... much like wiritng a jingle for a comercial. Take the drug Prevacid, the heartburn pill, the name is actually the words "prevent acid" smooshed together.

[caesee]

i remember reading in article regrding veterans and "post war syndrome" the doc was giving them a drug called obecalp....the vets were complaining it wasnt working then they figured out the drug actually was a placebo, and the drug was just placebo spelled backwards..

[antony]

There is a rhyme and reason behind the chemical names of drugs yes, and sometimes in the brand names also... but mostly no. The naming of drugs is big business, in fact, the patent on the name of a drug is often times more profitable than the patent for the drug itself. There are ppl that get paid big bucks to just sit around and think of catchy, medical sounding names... much like wiritng a jingle for a comercial. Take the drug Prevacid, the heartburn pill, the name is actually the words "prevent acid" smooshed together.


Yea, its just the local marketing dept. Vicodin means as much as Nissans "Maxima".

A rose would be a rose by any other name.

cringing now.

[Opiyum]

There is a rhyme and reason behind the chemical names of drugs yes, and sometimes in the brand names also... but mostly no. The naming of drugs is big business, in fact, the patent on the name of a drug is often times more profitable than the patent for the drug itself. There are ppl that get paid big bucks to just sit around and think of catchy, medical sounding names... much like wiritng a jingle for a comercial. Take the drug Prevacid, the heartburn pill, the name is actually the words "prevent acid" smooshed together.


To be more specific I was more interested in chemical names. Oxy as in Oxytocin,Oxycodone would have something to do with Oxidation? Same with Hydro?
It just seems like certain types of drugs share prefix's or suffix's and then some in the same category dont share these afixes. Benzo's = pam most of the time Opi's=done or phine or pine or whatever. Im babbling now but this should make clear my question.

[antony]

the chemists can correct me, but i think the base for hyrdrocodone and oxycodone is codiene. they just add a hydrogen or oxygen molecule to it.

[HistoryofMadness]

For an excellent and informative movie on the naming of "gleemenex" and other pharmaceuticals click here (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kids_in_the_hall_brain_candy/)

-H

[poonwhalla]

braincandy was the other drug called stummys or something