b& Journal

2012/2013 Q1 Pharmaceutical Naming Trends

2013-04-30T18:00:00Z

The first quarter of 2013 NME FDA approvals indicates drug names are trending to longer lengths, more syllables and greater orthographic distinction in comparison to 2012 approvals.

Lesson In A Lunchbox

2013-02-21T17:00:00Z

"If we’re thinking of lunchbox, we’d be really careful about not having the word ‘box’ already give you bunch of ideas that could be quite narrow. You think of a box being a square, and like a cube. And so we’re quite careful with the words we use, because those can determine the path that you go down." Jony Ive, Senior Vice President of Industrial Design at Apple Inc.

Analysis of 2012 US/FDA Approved NME Drug Names

2013-01-31T22:00:00Z

Here's hoping that your 2013 is off to as fine a start as it has proven to be for the team here at Brandpersand. We're very excited to announce something new: Analysis of 2012 FDA Approved New Molecular Enity (NME) Drug Names. For the last calendar year, the FDA approved 39 new medicines, a number not seen in 16 years. In that year, 1996, the agency endorsed 53 new drugs. Of the 39 approved in 2012, 37 drug products featured a new proprietary name.

To preview a small sampling of the many insights:

The letter 'S' was the first choice to represent the first letter with seven drug names, followed by the letters 'E' and 'P', with three new names respectively.
Speaking of seven, it proved to be very lucky when counting the number of letters to be found in a name; 16 of 2012's new drug names featured seven letters.
An astounding 23 of the 37 new drug names featured a unique prefix, as defined by the first three letters in the context of presently available, proprietary drug names.

To secure an advance copy of our soon-to-be published analysis, feel free to drop us a note or give us a call. Otherwise, stay tuned to this space and look for our full analysis in the next few weeks, in tandem with our updated Pharmaceutical Trademark Advisory for 2013.

Happy Holiday!

2012-12-24T14:00:00Z

A sincere wish for peace and joy throughout the world from all of us to all of you! Our offices will be closed beginning today at Noon for the Winter holiday break. We return to business on Monday, January 7th, 2013.

November Narrative

2012-11-30T15:30:00Z

I hope this post finds our stateside readers as well-rested as the staff here at Brandpersand, each one of us having thoroughly enjoyed the Thanksgiving break. For those across the pond and elsewhere, don't fret as the Winter holiday will soon be here!

One of the perks for this avid reader is the opportunity to sleep in and peruse bits and books that have been set aside for just such moments. Without any further ado, here are the best:

For those interested in the subject of 'sound symbolism', which is the idea that vocal sounds or phonemes carry meaning in and of themselves, I can think of no better place to begin than 'Margo's Magical Letter Page.' Hosted by Margaret Mangus, a programmer and linguist, the site provides ample evidence of why she is considered one of the most prominent researchers on the topic, providing such gems as "...how the might serpent abides in English S and informs every word that contains it." Magical, indeed.
We journey from the magical to the mundane and arrive at '8 Ways to Find the Best Long-Tail Keywords' by Jeff Haden in a post dated Nov. 14th from Inc. Not surprisingly, greater specificity in search terms drives traffic for those mid-sized to small businesses that may lack the AdWord investment and/or profile to rank highly for the most sought after keywords. For the uninitiated, the author differentiates keyword types by stating that "...'head' terms are more popular and more frequently searched: like 'road bike.' Long-tail keywords are longer and more specific: 'aluminum vs carbon frame road bike.'" I'll take one Jonathan Ive Special Edition - in aluminium of course!
Let's turn off the information superhighway for a moment and head down the pharma path to 'New Drugs for Lipids Set Off Race,' by Andrew Pollack of the New York Times and dated Nov. 5th. As shared by Mr. Pollack, "...a new class of powerful cholesterol-reducing drugs is showing promising results, potentially offering a new option for people who do not respond to medication now on the market." Add to that number those individuals who can not tolerate statins at all, estimated to be between 10 to 20 percent of all patients, and the result is a potential blockbuster. At the head of the pack is a joint collaboration between Sanofi and Regeneron, who announced this month a two-year Phase 3 trial with 18,000 patients, followed by Amgen, Pfizer and Roche.

Well, the holiday cards don't sign themselves, so I'm off to excerise my long-tail long-hand! Be sure to drop us a note at consultants@brandpersand.com or else you won't find one of our very special cards in your post!

October? Olé!

2012-10-25T17:00:00Z

Back home and comfortably relaxed in my favorite sweater, now is as good a time as any to share a few welcome insights from my visit to the city of Barcelona for the 85th conference of The Pharmaceutical Trade Marks Group (PTMG).

As always, the team at the PTMG prepared a terrific program of presentations for the approximately 400+ pharmacetical trademark professionals from around the globe, followed by wonderful events in and around the city. The major topics for the Fall conference this year included product trade dress and non-traditional trade marks, and the implications of the growing importance of social media to influence decisions regarding healthcare:

Jo Grist of GSK highlighted the particular challenges for brand owners in the pharma sector, using a study for usage of the two-tone purple colors used on the Advair® Diskus® inhaler and related court case in Canada. Although GSK was unable to claim ownership of the color purple for inhaler products and related packaging, the investment highlighted the need to identify potentially protectable elements of trade dress as part of a commericalization strategy. Fortunately for GSK, Advair continues to remain a strong brand in Canada and elsewhere.
The Digital Heath Coalition presented a primer on the topic of social media specific to the pharma sector, highlighting both challenges and opportunities. In spite of the the well-established regulations and related limitations related to platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, there are many benefits to those marketers who can identify the proper balance of targeted communication and the open discourse of the internet.

Of course, any discussion regarding Barcelona must include the subjects of food and wine. I am happy to share a number of new names to my already expansive list of terrific spots for all things Catalan. Cuines Santa Caterina offers something for everyone, including a wonderful lunch of grilled shrimp in garlic sauce for yours truly, and is within walking distance of the Gothic district. My second visit to La Vinya del Senyor was every bit as magical as the first. But you don't have to take my word for it, you can also reference the New York Times:

But more affordable classical music concerts — in an equally beautiful setting — are at the Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar (Plaça de Santa Maria; 34-93-3102-390), a lovely and elegant church in Born that dates from the mid-14th century. A recent weekend featured a performance of Mozart and Haydn by Musica Bohemica of Prague, with tickets at just 20 euros. Afterward, walk across the courtyard to join the stylish crowd gathered at La Vinya del Senyor (Plaça de Santa Maria, 5; 34-93-310-3379) for tapas and one of its many excellent wines featured by the glass.

As we begin a busy stretch to conclude the year, we thank you for reading and look forward to sharing additional insights in the weeks to come. Until then, Olé!

Sayonara September

2012-10-01T14:00:00Z

As we bid adieu to September, our Intro to Brandpersand and Brandperand Life documents (PDF) are now prepped for the fall season and available for download. While the sweater season may soon be upon us, my summer wardrobe will make a last stand in the city of Barcelona for the 85th conference of The Pharmaceutical Trade Marks Group (PTMG). If you are planning to make the trip, be sure to look me up and say hello!

Augustly August

2012-08-31T20:00:00Z

Wishing our readers an enjoyable Labor Day weekend. See you in September!

Judicious In July

2012-07-30T12:30:00Z

While the collective creativity of Brandpersand continues to burn bright during these summer months, we confess to our fair share of reading by the pool in the early morning hours, or better yet, on the beach. This month we share the best sun-kisssed branding and naming bits of interest, including a few which are more judical than usual, for your enjoyment:

Speaking of summer, is there is any greater pursuit than waiting for the sun to set, putting the top down and letting the wind blow back your hair on a Saturday night? We thought so, which is why we drop the green flag for this month's first bullet with "...a half-century history behind the car’s nameplate." The car in question is the Dodge Dart, and while the latest incarnation arrives in showrooms this summer, the story behind "The Car Changes, but the Name Remains the Same" is a fine drive right now.
Cars and Names? For many of us, those two words lead straight to That Story About the Chevy Nova? [spoiler alert] from the team at The Duets Blog.
One of our favorite go-to spots for tech insight, The Verge provides the complete lawsuit timeline and a guide for the uninitiated [updated] regarding the IP scrum between Apple and Samsung. For even more insight, head on over to Steve Lohr's reporting at the NYTs, or for a broader selection of tech policy, Law & Disorder at Ars Technica, which outlines the last-minute wrangling before jury selection.
All of this blogging by the beach is working up a thirst, which leads us to "The World's Nicest Cease-And-Desist Letter..." from Old No. 7, as reported by Forbes.

Like they say, the pool doesn't clean itself, so we'll get back to work and see you in September! No worries, as there is plenty of Brandpersand to hold you over until then, beginning with an outline of our brand and name creation services, which can be downloaded right here (PDF).

A Summer Solstice Story

2012-06-20T13:00:00Z

The most recent updates to our Intro to Brandpersand and Brandperand Life documents (PDF) are keeping cool in the recesses of the 'cloud' and only a click away...