A brief lesson in pharmacology

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Bob - 10 Nov 2006 17:11 GMT

In pharmacology, all drugs have two names - a trade name and a generic name.

For example, the trade name of Tylenol is acetaminophen. Aleve is known
anaproxen, Amoxil is amoxicillin, and Advil is ibuprofen.

The FDA has been looking for a generic name for Viagra. After consideration
by a team of government experts, it recently announced it has settled on the
generic name of mycoxafloppin. Also considered were mycoxafailin,
mydixadrupin, mydixarizin, mydixadud, dixafix and, of course, ibepokin.

Pfizer Corp. is making an announcement today that Viagra will soon be
available in liquid form and will be marketed by Pepsi Cola as a power
beverage suitable for use as a mixer. Pepsi's proposed ad campaign claims it
will now be possible for a man to literally pour himself a stiff one.

Obviously we can no longer call this a soft drink. This additive gives new
meaning to the names of cocktails, highballs, and just a good old fashioned
stiff drink. Pepsi will market the new concoction by the name of Mount 'N
Do.

Reply to this Message

00doc - 10 Nov 2006 18:51 GMT

> In pharmacology, all drugs have two names - a trade name and a generic
> name.
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> fashioned stiff drink. Pepsi will market the new concoction by the name of
> Mount 'N Do.

Cute - very entertaining. But the truth is nearly as strange as the fiction.

Sildenafil (the generic name for Viagra) was developed as an angina
treatment. It works by inhibiting an enzyme that closed blood vessels thus
opening them. In preliminary tests it didn't do much for angina but there
was this strange side effect that proved to be quite marketable.

The marketting department had a long time before this come up with the name
Viagra but they were planning to use it for a new prostate drug. It is a
combination of Mt. Vesuvius and Niagra falls and seemed to apply to this new
drug rather well.

Ironically, when Viagra's first competitor, Levitra, came out there was some
objection within the FDA to the name. They said it was too optomisitic. I
never could understand how they figured the image of levitation (rising) was
more optomisitc than the one of a volcano erupting.

Signature

00doc

Reply to this Message

Bob - 10 Nov 2006 20:58 GMT

>> In pharmacology, all drugs have two names - a trade name and a generic
>> name.
[quoted text clipped - 36 lines]
> levitation (rising) was more optomisitc than the one of a volcano
> erupting.

Yes, optimistic seems a bit strange.
Perhaps the image of levitating something was simply too whimsical and vague
an image for them to market. Afterall, who has ever actually seen something
being levitated? But volcanic eruptions; they're real enough and something
we can all relate to.

Reply to this Message

Richard Friedel - 12 Nov 2006 07:42 GMT

> In pharmacology, all drugs have two names - a trade name and a generic name.

That's just a tiny part of the agenda hinted at, see Aldous Huxely's
Brave new World with the ideal "post-Darwinian" pleasure drug:

"Two minutes later the Voice and the soma vapor had produced their
effect. In tears, the Deltas were kissing and hugging one another -
half a dozen twins at a time in a comprehensive embrace. Even Helmholtz
and the Savage were almost crying. A fresh supply of pill-boxes was
brought in from the Bursary; a new distribution was hastily made and,
to the sound of the Voice's richly affectionate, baritone valedictions,
the twins dispersed, blubbering as though their hearts would break.
"Good-bye, my dearest, dearest friends, Ford keep you! Good-bye, my
dearest, dearest friends, Ford keep you. Good-bye my dearest,
dearest..."

Seems that there are mostly better physiological options than
pharmacological ones. There's that ugly ingenuity gap. Any other
moralists here? Regards, Richard Friedel

Reply to this Message