Ask Your Doctor About
Get the full intelligence
Search transcripts, export clips, track mentions, and explore all topics from “Ask Your Doctor About” inside PodZeus.
This episode of 99% Invisible dives into the surprising art and science behind pharmaceutical brand names, exploring why drugs like Viagra, Lunesta, and Imdeltra sound so bizarre and otherworldly. Host Sean Cole investigates the naming process with Scott Piergrosi of the Brand Institute, the company responsible for naming over 75% of new drugs, and Arlene Tech, a legendary drug name creator and poet who named Viagra. The episode reveals that these names aren't random—they're the result of rigorous, creative, and often poetic processes designed to be trademarkable, distinct, and safe under FDA regulations. Constraints like avoiding look-alike/sound-alike names, preventing misleading claims, and ensuring visual differentiation through letter shapes (ascending and descending letters) drive the strange, complex names we see. Yet beneath the jargon lies a surprising layer of creativity: names are crafted to 'sing,' to feel good in the mouth, and to evoke emotional resonance—like Tujejo, which conveys the freedom of long-lasting insulin. The episode ultimately reframes drug names not as marketing gimmicks, but as linguistic artistry shaped by science, regulation, and emotional storytelling.
Drug names are crafted under strict FDA rules to avoid misleading claims, look-alike/sound-alike confusion, and ensure visual distinctiveness.
The naming process involves teams brainstorming hundreds of options, using poetic devices, linguistic patterns, and even haiku-like rhythm to create memorable, pronounceable names.
Names like Viagra and Tujejo carry deep narrative meaning—evoking freedom, longevity, and emotional resonance—beyond just branding.
The goal is not just to be unique, but to be 'singable'—a name that flows naturally in conversation and feels right when spoken.
Despite their oddity, these names are the result of a high-stakes creative process balancing regulation, marketability, and emotional impact.
The Power of a Name: GoFundMe's Call to Action
A promotional segment for GoFundMe encourages listeners to start a fundraising campaign for causes they care about, emphasizing ease, creativity, and community impact.
The Mystery of Drug Brand Names
Sean Cole introduces the central question: why do pharmaceutical brand names sound like characters from Star Trek? He sets up the episode’s exploration of the creative and regulatory forces behind these names.
The Brand Institute: Naming 75% of New Drugs
Scott Piergrosi, head of creative at the Brand Institute, explains how his team generates 300–500 name ideas per drug, using AI, linguistic patterns, and creative exercises to find viable, unique names.
From Poetry to Pharmacology: The Art of Naming
“When you're naming drugs and you've named a lot of them, how did it feel when it was finally out on the market? No, what the feeling was, not then. It was when I originally came up with the name and wrote it down on paper and I said, this is going to be a good one. That's when I had the good feeling. It was like a mental orgasm.”
Regulation and the Science of Distinction
The episode unpacks FDA rules that shape drug names: no exaggerated claims, no look-alike/sound-alike risks (like the Lasix/Losec mix-up), and visual differentiation through ascending/descending letters to prevent medication errors.
“When you're naming drugs and you've named a lot of them, how did it feel when it was finally out on the market? No, what the feeling was, not then. It was when I originally came up with the name and wrote it down on paper and I said, this is going to be a good one. That's when I had the good feeling. It was like a mental orgasm.”
“You should read your haikus out loud when you're writing them, she says, and you should do the same with a drug name. It has to feel like it fits in your mouth. It has to flow in conversation.”
“The name? No, a bird. It hit my windshield. When that happened, I got depressed. Not you, Cisco. Yeah, even me. But as soon as I got depressed, I got undepressed because as I was cleaning the gleaming guts of that bird off my windshield, I thought of the name for the drug.”
Hosts
Guests
Arlene Tech
person
Scott Piergrosi
person
Brand Institute
organization
FDA
organization
Viagra
product
Tujejo
product
David Wood
person
Lunesta
product
Imdeltra
product
GoFundMe
organization
Service Request #3: Why Is There So Much Litter in San Francisco?
99% Invisible • 28m • 3/31/2026
Service Request #4: How Does the Grid in Phoenix Work?
99% Invisible • 33m • 4/3/2026
Service Request #5: Dude, Where's My Car?
99% Invisible • 32m • 4/7/2026
RoboUmp Hits the Big Leagues
99% Invisible • 31m • 4/14/2026
Co-op City
99% Invisible • 37m • 4/21/2026
Get the full intelligence
Search transcripts, export clips, track mentions, and explore all topics from “Ask Your Doctor About” inside PodZeus.
Start discovering podcast insights today
Start with a 7-day trial and explore a growing catalog of popular podcasts. No credit card required.
No credit card required • 7-day trial • Cancel anytime