New Pfizer vaccine name, "Comirnaty"

  • Context: COVID 
  • Thread starter Thread starter berkeman
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Vaccine
Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
12 replies · 2K views
Messages
69,687
Reaction score
25,448
Well, now that the Pfizer vaccine has full FDA approval, they have decided to give it a new name, "Comirnaty". And believe it or not, they actually have reasons for putting that name together...

https://www.kron4.com/trending/comirnaty-whats-the-story-behind-the-new-pfizer-vaccine-name/

Comirnaty, who? It’s the same exact mRNA vaccine Pfizer has producing through the emergency use authorization, but now it’s being marketed under the new name. Comirnaty is administered in two doses, three weeks apart, just like Pfizer doses have been all along.

The vaccine name is pronounced koe-mir’-na-tee. It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but neither did “Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine,” which is what it was technically called before.

The name was developed by Brand Institute in conjunction with BioNTech and Pfizer, according to Fierce Pharma.

“The name is coined from COVID-19 immunity, and then embeds the mRNA in the middle, which is the platform technology, and as a whole the name is meant to evoke the word community,” Scott Piergrossi, Brand Institute president of operations and communications, told the site.

The rebranding didn’t go unnoticed – nor unpunished – on social media.

:-p
One example of the push-back:

Covid-19 immunity + mRNA + community = Comirnaty

The person(s) who came up with this name should never be allowed to name anything ever again. They shouldn't even be allowed to name their pets.
 
  • Haha
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Tom.G, hutchphd, russ_watters and 5 others
Biology news on Phys.org
Haters going to hate, while it is definitely overthought it doesn't look that bad.

Or rather: I saw much worse :oldbiggrin:
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Evo and BillTre
Astronuc said:
I initially read "Comirnaty" "Cominarty", which would sound snarky.

Why not Communitavy, or Communitivy, or does that look too close to Communism?
Does "Comirnaty" mean "get vaccinated, comrade" in Russian?
 
  • Haha
Likes   Reactions: BillTre, Astronuc and berkeman
Ygggdrasil said:
I believe they wanted RNA in the name (similar to the name of the company Moderna).
Yes but Moderna is clever, as the active ingredient in the vaccine is modRNA. Comirnaty subtly implies that the active ingredient is miRNA, which it isn't.
berkeman said:
They shouldn't even be allowed to name their pets.
RNAin Tin tin
 
  • Haha
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: atyy and hutchphd
It is way better than the runner up: COVIDy-McCOVIDface.

I wonder what this bit of brilliance cost Pfizer. Makes me a proud MODERNA recipient
 
  • Haha
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: TeethWhitener, russ_watters, vela and 3 others
other runner-ups were covfefe and corbomite
 
  • Haha
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: russ_watters, vela, Astronuc and 3 others
Sticking with Pfizer would have been better.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Tom.G
As someone who used to work for a large pharmaceutical company specializing in vaccines, this is really nothing more than branding, similar to the work conducted by the marketing department.

It's the same Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine we've all grown to love (or at least appreciate, if you're not a rabid anti-vaxxer), and which many of us no doubt have already received (including myself).
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Astronuc