Warfarin is derived from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation which developed it as rat poison. The suffix '-arin' was added, taken from 'coumarin', the plant molecule responsible for the smell of cut grass. Coumarin was discovered after de-horned cattle bled to death having ingested spoiled sweet clover

Both Tylenol & paracetamol are derived from the drug's chemical name: 'N-aceTYL-para-aminophENOL' & 'N-aCETyl-PARA-AMinophenOL' (although the latter requires some rearrangement)

Viagra is taken from the Sanskrit word 'vyāghrá' (व्याघ्र) which means tiger. The similarity with other 'v' words like 'virility', 'vigour' and 'vitality' and the fact it rhymes with the powerful flowing 'Niagara' is likely non accidental

Premarin was first isolated from, and is still manufactured using the urine of pregnant horses. Hence PREgnant MARe urINe

One of few drugs helpfully named for its duration of action, Lasix is so called as it LAsts SIX hours

The name was proposed by Alexander Fleming who observed the antibacterial properties of the fungus Penicillium notatum and isolated penicillin from it. The fungus, in turn, is named from the Latin penicillus (paintbrush) due to its microscopic appearance

Nystatin was isolated in 1950 by researchers working for the New York STATe Department of Health

So named because it was deemed to be six times as potent as codeine. Prefixing it with 'six' in Roman numerals gives VI-CODeINe

Ambien is a sedative used to treat insomnia. The name is derived from 'AM' as in morning and 'BIEN' from the Spanish for 'good'. Ambien literally means 'good morning', as in you slept well

Namenda is used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease by blocking NMDA receptors from which, with the addition of a few vowels to aid pronounciation, its name is derived - NaMenDA

The Greek word 'speira' meaning coil gives its name to Spiraea ulmaria - the meadowsweet plant from which salicylic acid was purified by a team led by German chemist Heinrich Dreser whilst working for Bayer in 1897. Consequently the German name for salicylic acid was 'acetylierte spirsäure' from which the derived drug exists in an acetylated form (as acetylsalicylic acid). Thus an 'A' was added (for acetyl) to give the patented name Aspirin.

Dreser was also involved in creating diamorphine (heroin - see below) and codeine

Morphine was the first active alkaloid extracted from the opium poppy plant in 1804. It was named morphium after Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams, due to its sleep-inducing properties

Used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, an alpha blocker that relaxes bladder neck & prostate muscles to increase urinary flow. One of several drugs named directly after its desired action - maximum flow; see also Rapaflo (silodosin)

Used as a treatment for osteoporosis, FOSaMAX literally means 'great bone', taking the 'os' (bone) and 'max' (great) from Latin

The name 'heroin' was derived from the German 'heroisch' meaning heroic or strong which itself was derived from the ancient Greek word 'heros' (ήρως).

Bayer marketed heroin as 'a non-addictive substitute for morphine' in 1898, until it was banned in 1925 for being incredibly addictive

Sevoflurane is an inhaled volatile anaesthetic agent so named as it has seven (SEVO) fluoride (FLUR) ions

Rocuronium is a non-depolarising neuromuscular blocking agent (muscle relaxant) that has a Rapid Onset. CURO is derived from 'curare', a paralysing poison used by South American indigenous people. The word 'curare' is taken from wurari, from the Carib language of the Macushi Indians of Guyana.

See also pancuronium & vecuronium

FLO-NASe is used to relieve seasonal & year-round allergic & non-allergic nasal congestion, so improving nasal flow

Metoprolol was considered 'just another beta blocker' & so was named 'ME-TO(O)-prolol'.

Lopressor is one of several drugs named after its action - to LOwer blood PRESSure

Another entry into the virulent erectile dysfunction market, Levitra is a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor. Its name has a number of associations including levitate (to lift up) as well as LE (indicating masculinity in French) and VITRA (suggesting vitality & life)

Rivaroxaban is an oral anticoagulant that acts by directly inhibiting clotting factor Xa. Both generic & trade names contain Xa with the former indicating that the drug BANishes it.

See also apixaban, betrixaban, darexaban, edoxaban, otamixaban, letaxaban, and eribaxaban

Ansaid has a more honest name than most drugs. It stands for ANother Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory drug

Rifampicin is one of the more obscure drug names, derived from analysis of a soil sample from a pine forest in the French Riviera. In 1957 a new bacterium was isolated from the sample by a research lab in Milan. The subsequently derived compounds were named 'rifamycins' after a French crime film about a jewel heist called 'Rififi' that the researchers were particularly fond of

Lunesta is a hypnotic agent used to treat insomnia. Its name is derived from the word 'lunar' which comes from the Latin lunaris meaning the moon

The word 'folic' is from the Latin folium meaning leaf, to reflect the prevalence of folate in dark green leafy vegetables

Carvedilol, with both beta- and alpha-receptor actions, has a trade name reflecting its properties as a Cardiac Output REGulator.

Tenormin, another unimaginatively named selective beta-1 antagonist, acts to NORMalise hyperTENsion.

Aciphex is a proton pump inhibitor that inhibits gastric acid secretion i.e. it EXes ACId and pH

Ultiva was intended to imply that remifentanil is the Ultimate in TIVA - Total IntraVenous Anaesthesia

Atropine is a tropane alkaloid derived from the name of the Greek goddess Atropos (Ἄτροπος), the oldest of the Three Fates or Moirai known as the 'inflexible' or 'inevitable'. She chose the mechanism of death and so ended the life of mortals by cutting their life thread with shears.

The deadly nightshade Atropa belladonna was named after her, from which atropine was derived. Belladonna itself (Italian for 'beautiful lady') is named after the pupillary dilation effect which was thought to make women with large pupils more attractive (to men). As opposed to poisoned

Protonix is a proton pump inhibitor that inhibits gastric acid secretion so NIXing PROTOns

Propofol was first identified as a potential anaesthetic agent in 1973 by a Scottish veterinarian, John B. Glen. Clinical trials followed 4 years later. Its initial formulation (in cremophor) caused anaphylaxis so the formulation was withdrawn. It was relaunched in 1986 as an emulsion of soya oil.

Glen was awarded the prestigious Lasker Award in 2018 for his discovery.

Diprivan is an acronym derived from the chemical name of propofol, namely DlisoPRropylphenol IntraVenous ANaesthetic

Nicotine is named after the tobacco plant Nicotiana tabacum which itself is named after the French ambassador to Portugal, Jean Nicot de Villemain, who sent tobacco to Paris to the French King in 1560. Smoking it was believed to be medicinal and protect against illnesses, particularly the plague.

Smoking was promoted by US doctors as a marketing tool in the 1950s in response to rising public concerns around its safety. In 2022, New Zealand became the first country in the world to introduce a progressive ban on smoking by implementing a steadily rising age at which people can legally buy cigarettes

Chlopromazine has its origins in the quest for new anti-histamines in the 1930s. French surgeons suggested a variety of drug combinations in the 1940s to induce 'relaxation and indifference' in surgical patients. A navy surgeon, Henri Laborit suggested to the French pharmaceutical company Rhône-Poulenc that they develop compounds to stabilise the central nervous system by causing 'artificial hibernation', something he described as 'sedation without narcosis'

Subsequently, the chemist Paul Charpentier added a chlorine atom to phenothiazines and used the resulting compound to induce apathy and indifference in rats. This compound was chlorpromazine.

Rhône-Poulenc introduced the drug in 1952 where it was marketed under the name 'Largactil' due to its 'LARGe ACTivity'

The keanumycin group of peptides were first described by German scientists in February 2023. Keanumycins A-C were so efficient in their fungal killing potential that they were named after the actor Keanu Reeves by the researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, as a tribute to his assassin character, John Wick

Digoxin is a cardiac glycoside derived from plants of the genus Digitalis, more commonly known as foxgloves. It has a history of medicinal use as far back as 1652 and, when taken in significant amounts, is known to cause xanthopsia due to yellowing of the optical media of the eye.

The Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh was thought to have been prescribed digitalis by his physician, Dr. Paul Gachet, which he may have supplemented with foxglove tea. Van Gogh painted two portraits of the man who looked after him in the last few months of his life. In both he is depicted with a foxglove.

Art historians and physicians have long speculated that Van Gogh's strong use of the colour yellow may stem from digoxin-induced xanthopsia. However, there are others who say his 'yellow period' precedes the medication.

Fetroja is a cephalosporin that claims to 'outsmart resistance'. The manufacturer's colourful and cartoonish website makes the bold claim that 'like a Trojan horse, Fetroja outsmarts hard-to-treat pathogens by using iron to gain cell entry'. The use of iron (Fe) to sneak past cell defences is combined with the mythical wooden horse deployed by the Greeks to enter the city of Troy, replete with hidden warriors, that enabled them to win the Trojan war.

One can only imagine the fevered marketing brainstorm meetings that led to this inspiring trade name portmanteau.