That's actually a great example and it illustrates OP's point. If prescription drugs were given names based on their perceived meaning or target, things could g

That's actually a great example and it illustrates OP's point. If prescription drugs were given names based on their perceived meaning or target, things could get extremely confusing and/or misleading later when the meaning or target change (but the name stays the same). As it stands, choosing "random" names definitely seems like the lesser of two evils. The names may seem awkward at first but once you get used to them there's nothing particularly bad about them. > it would take a real optimist to say that brings any clarity or long term order to the process by which medical professionals learn or refer to the drugs they prescribe and administer In this case I don't think you can have the cake and eat it too, unless you can somehow prove that the chosen descriptive name will forever remain meaningful and descriptive.