While Pharma Companies Were Busy Naming Brands “Sema”, a Student Created…(Brand Management 89)
53 companies are preparing to launch Semaglutide in India. 31 of them have brand names starting with “Sema.” And the most distinctive brand name I have seen so far… came from a student.
Let that sink in for a moment.
The global success of Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss has triggered what can only be called a pharmaceutical gold rush.
Companies are lining up to enter the market. Budgets are being approved. Marketing plans are being drawn. Some companies are reportedly preparing to invest close to ₹125 crore to build their brands.
Yet when it comes to the most basic element of branding, the brand name, something curious has happened.
Out of the 53 companies waiting to launch semaglutide, 31 brands begin with the word “Sema.”
Sema-this.
Sema-that.
Sema-plus.
Sema -minus
Sema-care.
Sema-here
Sema-there
Sema-wal
Oh Hell! This is cognitive over-load!
Now just imagine a scene in a corporate conference room of Canopus Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Fictitious name).
A large screen. Forecast graphs climbing confidently upward. Sales targets projected with great enthusiasm.
Then someone asks the most important question in brand building:
“What should we call the brand?”
A thoughtful silence follows.
Then the promoter Hashubhai Dawawala suggests: “Why not start with Sema? After all, the molecule is semaglutide.”
“We can think of Semacan from the name from our company name, Canopus for diabetes and Semapus for weight loss. What do you think Vicky”, he asked the Executive Vice President.
“Oh! That’s a great name Hashubhai. How come I never thought of this?” He starts clapping and all join in chorus
“Vicky, I am ready to invest ₹125 crores. We can have a CME for all endocrinologists in Melbourne. Dubai Airport, the transit airport to Switzerland is now affected and cannot think of this destination. Or even Hawaii or New Zealand. The Senior Brand Manager I hired last fortnight was with Sire Pharmaceuticals (Fictitious name). He is specialized arranging destination CMEs and will be a great asset. He can meticulously plan their travel schedules.”
“He is an excellent choice Hashubhai! Let’s go ahead with destination CMEs.”
Relief spreads across the room. Heads nod. A decision is made.
The next day there is a circular from Hashubhai: “Vicky is promoted as Chief Marketing Officer. We shall easily beat Ozempic and Wegovy”
And thus, Canopus marches forward with remarkable unity, producing what looks suspiciously like the extended Sema family reunion.
Now here is the deeper problem.
Doctors’ minds are already occupied by Ozempic and Wegovy. These brands have created powerful a mental real estate. Replacing them in the prescriber’s mind requires clear differentiation and memorable branding.
But when multiple brands sound almost identical, they risk becoming background noise.
It raises uncomfortable questions.
Is this a poverty of ideas? Or simply no time to think because the pressure to achieve numbers is relentless? Or perhaps the silent belief that someone senior like Hashubhai Daruwala must surely know better?
In many organizations, creative ideas from younger minds quietly disappear into the nearest dustbin. Sometimes they are crushed under hierarchy, sometimes under ego.
And so, the industry ends up with… 31 Sema brands.
But every now and then, something refreshing happens.
A young mind enters the picture.
During an internship project on semaglutide at Indian Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR – Jaipur), a student ADHOKSHAJA HARITAS . approached the problem from a completely different angle.
He was not burdened by legacy thinking. He was not under pressure to imitate competitors. And most importantly, he was not afraid to think differently.
Adhokshaja understood something many seasoned marketers sometimes forget:
“Branding begins with the brand name.”
A good name signals differentiation. It creates curiosity. It gives the brand its first identity in the doctor’s mind.
And from nowhere ADHOKSHAJA HARITAS . came up with a name that instantly stood apart.
Zepriva!
Clean. Memorable. Modern.
And most importantly, not another “Sema.”
What experienced brand teams, supported by research agencies, consultants, and generous budgets, could not produce in crowded boardrooms, a student quietly created during his internship.
That deserves admiration.
Adhokshaja’s idea demonstrates the power of fresh thinking. It reflects curiosity, imagination, and the courage to break patterns. Instead of following the obvious route, he asked a simple but powerful question:
“Why must the name begin with Sema?”
That single question opened the door to creativity.
In a market where dozens of brands may soon sound alike, Zepriva instantly feels different. And in branding, different is often the first step toward making a brand memorable.
Adhokshaja’s ingenuity is a reminder to all of us in pharmaceutical marketing that innovation does not always require massive budgets or large teams.
Sometimes it simply requires a fresh pair of eyes and a mind willing to question the obvious.
Perhaps the next time organizations search for ideas, they should look not only at the top of the hierarchy, but also at the young minds quietly observing from the sidelines.
Because as Adhokshaja has just shown us, sometimes the most distinctive brand thinking does not emerge from a boardroom discussion.
It emerges from a curious student who simply dared to think differently.
Congratulations ADHOKSHAJA HARITAS .