Delaware is the first state in the country to get a drug named after it, says Incyte CEO

Original Source: Delaware News Journal

Delaware has its own drug.

Specifically, the First State may be the first state in the nation to have a generic drug named after it, said Incyte CEO Hervé Hoppenot in his keynote address at the annual dinner for the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce on Monday.

To a mix of surprise and applause, the CEO and chairman of the Delaware-founded pharmaceutical giant made this announcement to a thousand-strong room filled with Delaware powerbrokers and kingmakers that included representatives from some of the largest companies in Delaware. Also in attendance were both of Delaware's U.S. senators, Gov. John Carney and the major candidates vying for Carney's job next year.

Incyte's newest drug, sold under the brand name of Zynyz, was approved by the FDA in 2023 to treat a rare, aggressive, and often fatal form of skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma.

Perhaps unnoticed by most, Hoppenot said, the drug's generic name contains a secret code: an homage to the people of Delaware, the state where the life-saving drug was developed.

Generic drug names, such as Zynyz's approved generic name of retifanlimab, are the internationally recognized names used by doctors and scientists. These generic names are designed to reduce confusion among doctors, and tend to follow a rigid set of naming conventions. Each name must also be approved by the United States Adopted Names (USAN) Council and the World Health Organization.

Ever since 2017, biologically derived drugs also are assigned a four-letter suffix. This suffix must be "devoid of meaning" and unlikely to cause confusion. It must also not sneakily advertise for the company that made it.

But apparently, a sly reference to the drug's state of origin is allowed.

Zynyz's full, official name? Retifanlimab-dlwr.