They sound like words and have a mysterious dignity rolling off the tongue. Their meanings seem both apparent and elusive. If an alien delegation landed on Earth, words like these might feature in their formal greetings. They are the most expensively researched neologisms in use around the globe.

What are they? Pharmaceutical brand names like Advil, Zantac, Lipitor, and Xolair. Azor, Exelon, Zostavax, and Chantix. Gardasil, Cubicin, Levemir, and Sensipar.

The process of taking a breakthrough chemical compound and turning it into a lucrative product involves an odd collaboration among scientists, executive risk-takers, advertising masterminds, and lofty national and international agencies, including the FDA. So much money rides on a pharmaceutical brand that its name is often under development well before the actual drug has been concocted.

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