In 2025, there were approximately 144 brand names approved by the FDA (between FDA-CDER and FDA-CBER). Alexa Lash, Brand Institute’s Senior Vice President of Creative offers some general patterns and insights.
“Out of the 144 names analyzed from 2025 approvals, there are some expected and more unexpected findings that may help navigate or comfort anyone submitting new name candidates in 2026,” Ms. Lash said. “It appears that a large amount of names, about 72%, were three-syllables, which isn’t necessarily unusual, but it is a pretty expansive percentage (Brynovin, the first candidate approved in 2025, is three syllables in length). 11% of names were 4-syllables in length and 8% were 2-syllables in length. Only one candidate, VIZZ, was approved that was a whopping one-syllable in length.
“The top starting letters were A (16 names) and E (13 names), with B (10 names), M (9 names) and V (8 names) not far behind. The top ending letters were A (26 names) and O (24 names) with Y and I both coming in third at 15 names each (though that makes about 30 names with an “eye” or “ee”-like pronunciation).
“The only letter that didn’t start a name was ‘U,’ which was neat considering 2024 had names like Unloxcyt approved. And while 52 out of 144 names ended with a consonant, there weren’t any approvals that ended in B, F, H, J, P or W, which may be an area to explore in name creation for anyone willing to play with name architecture outside the standard vowel endings. Breakaway letters also re-appeared with more frequency with approvals like Qfitlia and mNEXSPIKE.
“Strategically, about 31% of brand names approved had an obvious link to the nonproprietary name, but overall we’re still seeing an even mix of strategies linked to the mechanism like with Ibtrozi, an oral kinase inhibitor that blocks the ROS1 protein, or benefit-driven names like Boncresa. So overall, the best advice is to focus on your particular brand’s needs, and to still explore diverse styles, letter use and strategies.
“And with all of these exciting findings, I can’t wait to see what approvals 2026 will bring.”
By Alexa Lash
Alexa Lash, MA
Senior Vice President, Creative
Ms. Lash joined BI – Miami in 2013. She serves as one of the leading experts in specialty creative projects ranging from brand strategy recommendations to live creative sessions. Ms. Lash has spearheaded thousands of creative naming, brand architecture and naming strategy projects during her tenure with Brand Institute, while also contributing to creative innovation and outfacing deliverable program design. Before joining BI, she worked as a Social Media & Marketing Coordinator and as a freelance writer and editor. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing from the University of Central Florida and her Master of Arts degree in Publishing and Writing from Emerson College in Boston.
