Family complains that “love drug'”will smear their name
BMJ 2002; 325 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.325.7363.514/a (Published 07 September 2002) Cite this as: BMJ 2002;325:514
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A disturbingly narrow minded view of the world we live in. By this
reasoning, as I cannot control or prevent many of the bigger issues in our
live then I best live with the little ones - whether or not I can do
anything to change them.
It is a sad thing that Thomas feels powerless to change that which
hurts him...
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests
Children will always find ways to torment other children. They do
not need any particular excuse.
As for adults who might tease others because of a last name which is
also an impotence drug, why would one care what a fool thinks. Many fools
have thought poorly of me, and I take it as a badge of honor.
Today we celebrate the anniversary of the death of 3,000 human beings
murdered by terrorists. Poverty and diseases is endemic in the world.
You should be very happy indeed if your chief concern is the fact that
your unusual and uncommon last name is also the name used for an impotence
drug.
Competing interests: No competing interests
Dear Editor,
I was pleased to read the news article 'Family complains that "love drug"
will smear theIr name' by Mark Gould. I sympathise with the drug company,
which states that they could not screen out all potential problems.
However, they have now been alerted to a potential problem and the
opportunity exists for prevention. Of course, rebranding will cost money,
but this needs to be balanced against the cost of potential compensation.
I have professional contact with the family and believe harm could be
prevented.
Yours sincerely
Prof Saxby Pridmore
Department of Psychiatry,
Royal Hobart Hospital,
Hobart,
Tasmania,
Australia
Competing interests: No competing interests
I am a member of the affected family. My grandmother was a
Cialis. So are many cousins.
Your news article might give the impression that Lilly were only
informed of the problem last June. In fact, Cialis family members
started to express concern to Lilly during mid 2001. It was only
recently that the company began to acknowledge the problem they
have created.
The company also state that there is no sure way to screen out
potential problems when registering a trademark. A ten year old,
armed with a PC and a modem would have established within a
half hour that there are people named Cialis listed in telephone
directories in four countries, there is an artist named Cialis in
Ireland, and the name appears on a number of genealogical
websites.
It seems likely that it never occurred to Lilly and their 'naming
company' that more care should be taken in naming a 'love drug'
than for a more mundane pharmaceutical such as an anti-
histamine.
Those who are interested in learning more of this problem are
invited to visit http://www.users.bigpond.com/dessale/
Competing interests: No competing interests
Re: Family complains that "love drug" will smear their name
Dear Editor,
Naming any new product always runs the risk of sounding similar to some
known name. Therefore it is hardly possible to keep changing the names of
drugs simply because it is similar to a person's surname. The only issue
here is that the drug used is meant for a sexual dysfunction, which is
associated with a social stigma.
As far as the misuse of the name by children is concerned, I do not
think there is any solution to it. Children will always find a way to
tease or mock others and that is an issue for the parents to handle and
armour the child against.
Regards,
Rajan T.D.
Consultant Dermatovenereologist,
CMPH Medical College & Hospital,
Mumbai
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests