Idarucizumab, levetiracetam, ustekinumab: how do drugs get their names and why are they so hard to pronounce?

Idarucizumab, levetiracetam, ustekinumab: how do drugs get their names and why are they so hard to pronounce?

Asier Romero/ShutterstockIf you’ve ever tried discussing medicines with friends or family and found yourself stumbling over the pronunciation — or even resorting to snapping a photo of the medicine’s packaging to show your pharmacist, instead of remembering the name — you’ve probably wondered: where do drug names come from, and why can’t they be easier to remember? Occasionally, drug names are short and snappy. But more often, they seem more lik…