Thought of the Day - September 1 2021 - Pfizer US FDA Approval

I have been asked by a couple of people: "What is this announcement that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has only just been approved by the US FDA? Is this a new one or something?" No, no, the COVID-19 vaccines approvals in the US, and Canada for that matter, up until this point were fast-tracked for emergency use only. With countries now considering lifting their Emergency Orders, pharma companies must now meet all vaccine approval requirements or risk having the deployment of their products halted.

That said, the main discussion around the Pfizer approval seems to centre around the chosen name for the product.

The name ‘Comirnaty’ given by Pfizer and BioNTech to their COVID-19 vaccine has sent netizens slamming the pharmaceutical firms for their “poor” choice of name:

• I feel like the brainstorming session that came up with the name ‘Comirnaty’ either ended too soon or went on way too long.

• Achievement unlocked: full FDA approval. Also unlocked: the crappy hard-to-pronounce word 'Comirnaty'. Thanks, marketing.

• 'Comirnaty' - Like a drunk trying to say 'Community'.

Explaining the rationale behind the naming, Pfizer said they wanted to emphasize COVID-19 immunization and the vaccine's core mRNA technology. They also wanted to reflect “community” and “immunity” into the final product.

“The name represents a combination of the terms COVID-19, mRNA, community, and immunity, to highlight the first authorization of a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine, as well as the joint global efforts that made this achievement possible with unprecedented rigour and efficiency — and with safety at the forefront — during this global pandemic” Pfizer and BioNTech were quoted as saying.

All I know is it will now be darn difficult for Pfizer to launch one of those "Ask Your Doctor About . . ." US TV ad campaigns.

Cheers

Cliff