List: The coolest names in biotech
Av Fierce Biotech let its readers vote for the companies with the best names in a thrilling competition.
After beating Lykos, Siren, Nighthawk, Orca and Moonwalk, Werewolf Therapeutics made it to the final of the competition.
In the other corner was Obsidian Therapeutics, named after the black volcanic glass, known as obsidian, which had knocked out Jazz, Ampersand, Leapfrog and Eucalyptus on its way to the final.
When the dust settled and all the votes were counted, Werewolf emerged as the winner – much to the delight of the company’s Chief Business Officer, Ellen Lubman.
"While lighthearted, this competition spotlights the creativity and passion that our field has in bringing effective and innovative treatments to patients everywhere. A name captures the vision, the focus, and the uniqueness of a company... a bold statement of intent for audiences and competitors alike to remember", she told Fierce Biotech.
The sister site, Fierce Pharma, also organised a naming competition for pharmaceuticals, which was a Swedish success. Wainua, the orphan drug of Astra Zeneca and Ioni, which was recently approved in the US as a treatment for hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis, was voted the most well-named drug.
According to Astra Zeneca, the drug should be pronounced ‘way-noo-ah’, reflecting its importance as a ‘new way’ for patients.
Second on the drug list was Mounjaro, Eli Lilly’s diabetes drug, whose name flows well off the tongue, readers say.
At Life Science Sweden, we can conclude that several Swedish companies would have been good contenders on the list. How about Alligator Bioscience, Asgard Therapeutics, Aniara Diagnostica, Hamlet Pharma, Ilya Pharma and Tataa Biocenter? We recently explored the history behind these names and many others, read here and here, as well as this interview (in Swedish) with naming expert Katarina Nilsson from Eqvarium.
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