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When it comes to naming new products in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, there's a lot more to it than meets the eye. In our short, easy-to-digest audio series, we delve into this complex topic, featuring industry expert Ben Woodward, Client Services Director with a decade of experience in the naming and branding industry.

One of the most significant challenges in naming a new drug isn't just clearing a trademark. As Ben explains, the biopharma industry is unique because a trademark clearance doesn't guarantee you can use the name. The name must also be approved by various health authorities in different regions, such as the FDA, EMA, and Health Canada. Despite this and many other factors, Ben states that the biggest challenge is often building team consensus.

Navigating Subjectivity and Building Consensus

Naming is an inherently subjective process, and everyone has an opinion. To overcome this, the process starts with creating a strong creative strategy and getting the team to agree on the attributes and creative directions to explore for name creation. The team must set boundaries for creative exploration while remaining adaptable, as strategies can change as a product moves through development. According to Ben, a crucial soft skill for navigating this is being a good listener, as the process is interactive and requires taking feedback and turning it into actionable steps.

The Role of Data-Driven Decisions

To counter this subjectivity, market research plays a huge role in making the process more objective. When testing names, the goal is to look for two key things:

  • Safety and Approvability: This involves identifying potential conflicts in different regions that could be barriers to entry.

  • Commercial and Marketing Potential: This includes understanding how well a name fits the product concept and attributes, as well as the target audience's preference.

This data helps guide the decision-making process. The goal is to focus on names with the cleanest safety profile that are also most favorable to the target audience. Many times, prescribers and pharmacists are the primary end user. But in therapeutic areas where patients are more involved in the decision-making process, it's common to test names with both patients and healthcare providers (HCPs).

Using objective feedback from the people who will ultimately be prescribing or using the drug can help internal teams align and drive a clear, data-informed consensus.

To learn more about uniting teams during this challenging process, listen now on Spotify!

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Author: Brittany Scott Last Updated: August 20, 2025