Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Got The Pfizer Shot? No You Didn't — You're Vaxxed With 'Comirnaty'
NPR: It's Pronounced Koe-Mir'-Na-Tee. How One Of The COVID-19 Vaccines' Name Came To Be
Say it with me: Koe-mir'-na-tee.No, it's not some new term coined by Generation Z. Comirnaty, as it's known, is the official, brand name for Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine was given full approval by the Food and Drug Administration this week. As part of the approval process, the vaccine also gets its brand name approved for use in the U.S. So, how did Pfizer and BioNTech settle on this unique moniker? (Diaz, 8/24)
The Verge: Comirnaty, Spikevax, And The Weird World Of Branding COVID-19 Vaccines
With official Food and Drug Administration approval, the Pfizer / BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine can now be marketed as Comirnaty in the US, great news for general vaccine acceptance, sure, but also anyone who loves to fixate on bizarre drug names. Comirnaty is apparently supposed to be a portmanteau of several words — community, immunity, COVID-19, and mRNA — Fierce Pharma writes. The branding was produced for Pfizer-BioNTech by the Brand Institute — “The World’s #1 Naming Company” — and while it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, it is at least shorter than most drug names. (Carlos Campbell, 8/23)
The Washington Post: Behold The Online Roast Of ‘Comirnaty,’ The Brand Name Of The Pfizer Vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration gave full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine on Monday, making it one of the most important days in the history of the pharmaceutical company. But, since nothing can be purely good on the Internet, the company immediately became a punchline. We regret to inform you, dear reader, that they named the vaccine Comirnaty. Comirnaty?Yes, Comirnaty. (Andrews, 8/23)
The Boston Globe: Pfizer’s Coronavirus Vaccine Was Approved By The FDA. Then The Internet Dunked On Its Bizarre Brand Name: ‘Comirnaty’
But when the news reached social media — where arguably no one and nothing is safe — the historic achievement by the pharmaceutical company was not the only thing that stood out to people. It was the name it will be marketed as: Comirnaty. Try saying that three times fast. The FDA was gracious enough to note the pronunciation of the vaccine in its press release announcing the news of its approval (koe-mir’-na-tee) but that did not stop the Internet from immediately pouncing. (Larson, 8/24)
