Following the approval of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine, it is now being marketed under the brand name Comirnaty. This name, created by the Brand Institute, has sparked controversy due to its unique composition. The Brand Institute combined “Covid-19 immunity” with “mRNA” to form the name, with the intention of evoking the concept of community. The president of operations at the Brand Institute explained that the branding aimed to layer meaning into the name, with other options considered including Covuity, RNaxCovi, Kovimerna, and RNXtract. The response to the name has been mixed, with some poking fun at its unconventional spelling while others simply continue to refer to the vaccine as Pfizer, which ultimately benefits the pharmaceutical company. It raises interesting questions about the impact of branding in the medical field.
