What's in a name? This is a question pondered by many new parents throughout the Pittsburgh area. As is turns out, it is also on the mind of drug companies when it comes to naming new drugs. Many drugs recently created are being given names beginning with the letters X and Z.

For new parents there is often a desire for their child to have a name that in some way sets them apart. This is sometimes accomplished by interesting spellings of more common names or choosing a name that starts with a letter that is not particularly common, such as X or Z. While a distinctive name is clearly important to drug companies as well, there is however, more to the use of these letters.

According to experts in the fields of linguistics and marketing, the letters are what are referred to as "fricative" letters. What this means is that they imply speed, something many who must take medications would likely welcome when it comes to a malady or pain being addressed.

The letters may have an added benefit to the patient that they are likely not even aware of. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is one of a couple of groups that provides requirements regarding how names can be selected. Perhaps not surprisingly it is important that new drug names not visually appear similar to others or similarly, sound like another. The reason behind this is to try to reduce medication errors rooted in handwriting issues leading to prescriptions incorrectly filled.

Along the same lines, according to the president of a brand consulting firm, handwriting is usually easier to read when the words written require up and down strokes to make the letters. The letters X and Z appear to do just that.

Source: Reuters, "X and Z in favor as companies name new drugs," Deena Beasley, Jan. 25, 2013