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While watercoolers across the nation play unwitting hosts to stale chats about that other March tournament, FierceMadness is getting into full swing. Today begins an intrigue-packed second round in which 64 contenders vie for a shot at the throne, and this is your chance to weigh in.
If you missed Wednesday's intro, here's the gist: FiercePharmaMarketing is out to crown the best drug name among a slew of recently launched medicines, and we're looking to readers for help. Scroll down to vote on each of Round 2's 32 matchups and determine which will survive and advance--and please do chime in with your reasoning behind each decision. (Here are the results from Round 1.) We'll keep the polls open through Sunday before tallying them up and kicking off Round 3 next week.
Round 2 also marks your last chance to take part in our bracket challenge. Print and fill out your bracket, and then tweet it out with the hashtag #FierceMadness for a shot at a prize. (Here are some brackets already submitted.)
Good luck!
-- Carly Helfand (email | Twitter) and Damian Garde (email | Twitter)
Anti-infective Region
Bexsero made things look easy in Round 1, grabbing an early lead over Trumenba and never looking back. Its prize? A date with heavyweight Zerbaxa, a No. 1 seed some think might go all the way. Whether or not it does, Bexsero's got a tough road ahead, with contenders like the Olysio-Jublia victor looming in its path. Around the region, a 4-13 matchup between Viekira Pak and Cresemba is one to keep an eye on, as is a much-hyped showdown between Sovaldi and Harvoni. Only one Gilead drug will advance to Round 3--which will you choose?
No. 1 Zerbaxa vs. No. 16 Bexsero
Zerbaxa
Maker: Merck
Indication: Bacterial infection
Sounds like: A flowering plant species you shouldn't touch if you find it in the woods
Bexsero
Maker: GlaxoSmithKline
Indication: Meningitis B
Sounds like: An ancient, mythical sword
No. 8 Olysio vs. No. 9 Jublia
Olysio
Maker: Johnson & Johnson
Indication: Hepatitis C
Sounds like: An ultra-trendy Mediterranean restaurant with exposed brick, craft cocktails and a line out the door
Jublia
Maker: Valeant Pharmaceuticals
Indication: Fungal infection
Sounds like: The Greek goddess of joy
No. 5 Oralair vs. No. 12 Orbactiv
Oralair
Maker: Greer and Stallergenes
Indication: Allergies
Sounds like: A foreign film noir
Orbactiv
Makers: The Medicines Company
Indication: Bacterial infection
Sounds like: The maker of the eyewear we'll all be sporting when virtual travel becomes a thing
No. 4 Viekira Pak vs. No. 13 Cresemba
Viekira Pak
Maker: AbbVie
Indication: Hepatitis C
Sounds like: The Bluth family's favorite mode of transportation (after stair car)
Cresemba
Maker: Astellas
Indication: Fungal infection
Sounds like: A minor moon of Saturn
No. 6 Sivextro vs. No. 11 Tivicay
Sivextro
Maker: Merck
Indication: Bacterial infection
Sounds like: A ruthless Roman emperor who murdered his way to the top
Tivicay
Maker: ViiV Healthcare
Indication: HIV
Sounds like: A sparsely populated--and overlooked by tourists--island in the Bahamas
No. 3 Ragwitek vs. No. 14 Avycaz
Ragwitek
Maker: Merck
Indication: Allergies
Sounds like: Ragweed.
Avycaz
Maker: Actavis
Indication: Bacterial infection
Sounds like: An old stone tablet bearing a cryptic code that, if solved, will guide its solver to the lost fortunes of a vanished city
No. 7 Sovaldi vs. No. 10 Harvoni
Sovaldi
Maker: Gilead Sciences
Indication: Hepatitis C
Sounds like: A celebrated opera composer
Harvoni
Maker: Gilead Sciences
Indication: Hepatitis C
Sounds like: Another, less-well-known opera composer who famously tried to poison Sovaldi
No. 2 Luzu vs. No. 15 Dalvance
Luzu
Maker: Valeant Pharmaceuticals
Indication: Fungal infection
Sounds like: A super-sour lemon candy your grandparents used to buy you when mom and dad went out of town
Dalvance
Maker: Actavis
Indication: Bacterial infection
Sounds like: A roadside town in western Iowa
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Cardiometabolic and Respiratory Region
This one came down to the wire, but ultimately it was Saxenda that narrowly escaped with the Round 1 win. As one voter figures, Saxenda "sounds tough and willing to fight the difficulties associated with obesity"--and it better be ready to fight top-seeded Adempas, too. Down the ladder, look for Zontivity to come out firing on all cylinders against No. 2 Opsumit in what could be the tournament's biggest upset so far. Tanzeum also looks primed to make a run, but then again, that all depends on you.
No. 1 Adempas vs. No. 16 Saxenda
Adempas
Maker: Bayer
Indication: Pulmonary arterial hypertension
Sounds like: A Shakespearean prince
Saxenda
Makers: Novo Nordisk
Indication: Obesity
Sounds like: A distant relative of our coworker Varun
No. 8 Tanzeum vs. No. 9 Esbriet
Tanzeum
Maker: GlaxoSmithKline
Indication: Diabetes
Sounds like: An extremely dangerous aerial circus act
Esbriet
Maker: Roche
Indication: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Sounds like: A feminine hygiene brand
No. 5 Invokana vs. No. 12 Farxiga
Invokana
Maker: Johnson & Johnson
Indication: Diabetes
Sounds like: The hostess at a pagan ceremony
Farxiga
Maker: AstraZeneca
Indication: Diabetes
Sounds like: The ugliest Disney villainess
No. 4 Toujeo vs. No. 13 Anoro Ellipta
Toujeo
Maker: Sanofi
Indication: Diabetes
Sounds like: Something one might exclaim at a jousting match
Anoro Ellipta
Maker: GlaxoSmithKline
Indiction: COPD
Sounds like: The asteroid that will wipe out humanity
No. 6 Trulicity vs. No. 11 Savaysa
Trulicity
Maker: Eli Lilly
Indication: Diabetes
Sounds like: A truly next-generation dating app
Savaysa
Maker: Daiichi Sankyo
Indiction: Atrial fibrillation
Sounds like: Your new local yoga studio
No. 3 Breo Ellipta vs. No. 14 Jardiance
Breo Ellipta
Maker: GlaxoSmithKline
Indication: COPD
Sounds like: The newest, hottest exercise machine at the gym
Jardiance
Makers: Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly
Indication: Diabetes
Sounds like: A line of four-door family station wagons
No. 7 Ofev vs. No. 10 Afrezza
Ofev
Maker: Boehringer Ingelheim
Indication: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Sounds like: A forgotten letter of the Hebrew alphabet
Afrezza
Makers: MannKind and Sanofi
Indication: Diabetes
Sounds like: A pasta special at Olive Garden
No. 2 Opsumit vs. No. 15 Zontivity
Opsumit
Maker: Actelion
Indication: Pulmonary arterial hypertension
Sounds like: An eyewear store for mountaineers
Zontivity
Maker: Merck
Indication: Stroke and clot prevention
Sounds like: A game Martians play in their free time
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Oncology Region
Keytruda's lopsided Round 1 win over Opdivo lands it right in the middle of a stacked Oncology Region, where pre-tournament favorites Blincyto and Zydelig face no easy path to the quarterfinals. Imbruvica, controversially seeded at No. 9, will have to muscle past Mekinist to prove its doubters wrong, while Xofigo could have the makings of a Cinderella story from way down at No. 16. How it all shakes out is up to you.
No. 1 Zydelig vs. No. 16 Tafinlar
Zydelig
Maker: Gilead Sciences
Indication: Lymphoma
Sounds like: A deleted scene from Woody Allen's "Zelig" in which the title character joins a zydeco band
Tafinlar
Maker: Novartis
Indication: Melanoma
Sounds like: The leader of a Germanic tribe that battled the Roman Empire circa 300 CE
No. 8 Mekinist vs. No. 9 Imbruvica
Mekinist
Maker: Novartis
Indication: Melanoma
Sounds like: A little-known contemporary of Kraftwerk and Neu
Imbruvica
Makers: Johnson & Johnson and Pharmacyclics
Indication: Leukemia
Sounds like: A high-end camera manufacturer
No. 5 Gilotrif vs. No. 12 Cyramza
Gilotrif
Maker: Boehringer Ingelheim
Indication: Lung cancer
Sounds like: The tough but big-hearted police captain in an '80s buddy cop movie
Cyramza
Maker: Eli Lilly
Indication: Lung and gastric cancers
Sounds like: A Brian Eno-produced David Bowie project quietly shelved after both parties got sober
No. 4 Ibrance vs. No. 13 Farydak
Ibrance
Maker: Pfizer
Indication: Breast cancer
Sounds like: A trendy self-help program that might be a pyramid scheme
Farydak
Maker: Novartis
Indication: Multiple myeloma
Sounds like: A particularly offensive swear word in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi series
No. 6 Zykadia vs. No. 11 Keytruda
Zykadia
Maker: Novartis
Indication: Lung cancer
Sounds like: A Greek dance club
Keytruda
Maker: Merck
Indication: Melanoma
Sounds like: An unwanted visitor impervious to locks
No. 3 Gazyva vs. No. 14 Pomalyst
Gazyva
Maker: Roche
Indication: Leukemia
Sounds like: A mall kiosk pivoting after being served with a cease-and-desist letter from a certain famous chocolatier
Pomalyst
Maker: Celgene
Indication: Multiple myeloma
Sounds like: An Android-compatible tablet with no chance of unseating the iPad
No. 7 Kadcyla vs. No. 10 Lynparza
Kadcyla
Maker: Roche
Indication: Breast cancer
Sounds like: The ride with the longest line at Six Flags
Lynparza
Maker: AstraZeneca
Indication: Ovarian cancer
Sounds like: A nice lady
No. 2 Blincyto vs. No. 15 Xofigo
Blincyto
Maker: Amgen
Indication: Leukemia
Sounds like: A Russian-fusion food truck that's, like, really hot right now
Xofigo
Maker: Bayer
Indication: Prostate cancer
Sounds like: A Southern rap sub-genre that stopped being cool after Rolling Stone ran a 4,000-word feature on it
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CNS and Specialty Region
Cosentyx trounced rival Otezla on its way into the round of 64, perhaps because, "anything with an X just sounds better," as one voter put it. Now Cosentyx squares off against Alprolix, a contender with championship buzz, in a loaded CNS and Specialty Region. Elsewhere, high seed Tecfidera faces a plucky Cerdelga, while Movantik and Hetlioz prepare for a 12-5 matchup with a whiff of upset. Under-rated subplot: Is this region Vimizim's to lose? Scroll down to cast your votes.
No. 1 Vimizim vs. No. 16 Plegridy
Vimizim
Maker: BioMarin
Indication: Morquio A syndrome
Sounds like: A crossed-out idea from the brainstorming session that led to Wreckx-n-Effect's biggest hit
Plegridy
Maker: Biogen Idec
Indication: Multiple sclerosis
Sounds like: Plegridy, n., the quality of being deeply disagreeable
No. 8 Entyvio vs. No. 9 Natpara
Entyvio
Maker: Takeda
Indication: Inflammatory bowel disease
Sounds like: A streaming video startup driven to bankruptcy after Google's 2006 acquisition of YouTube
Natpara
Makers: Shire and NPS Pharmaceuticals
Indication: Hypoparathyroidism
Sounds like: Lynparza's beau
No. 5 Movantik vs. No. 12 Hetlioz
Movantik
Maker: AstraZeneca
Indication: Opioid-induced constipation
Sounds like: A soccer club in Germany's Bundesliga, short for Verein für Leibesübungen Movantik 96
Hetlioz
Maker: Vanda Pharmaceuticals
Indication: Non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder
Sounds like: The result of a brief, misguided attempt by the Hector Berlioz estate to "rebrand" the Romantic composer
No. 4 Eloctate vs. No. 13 Hyqvia
Eloctate
Maker: Biogen Idec
Indication: Hemophilia A
Sounds like: An industrial-strength adhesive
Hyqvia
Maker: Baxter
Indication: Immunodeficiency
Sounds like: A cannabis-derived artificial sweetener
No. 6 Alprolix vs. No. 11 Cosentyx
Alprolix
Maker: Biogen Idec
Indication: Hemophilia B
Sounds like: A particularly verbose man in a Thomas Pynchon novel
Cosentyx
Maker: Novartis
Indication: Psoriasis
Sounds like: A friendly prehistoric bird
No. 3 Tecfidera vs. No. 14 Cerdelga
Tecfidera
Maker: Biogen Idec
Indication: Multiple sclerosis
Sounds like: A brand of power tools
Cerdelga
Makers: Sanofi and Genzyme
Indication: Gaucher disease
Sounds like: The word for "underworld" in Crimean Gothic
No. 7 Brintellix vs. No. 10 Hysingla
Brintellix
Makers: Takeda and Lundbeck
Indication: Depression
Sounds like: The evil megaconglomerate in a Japanese anime franchise
Hysingla
Maker: Purdue Pharma
Indication: Chronic pain
Sounds like: How first basemen greet runners
No. 2 Belsomra vs. No. 15 Rytary
Belsomra
Maker: Merck
Indication: Insomnia
Sounds like: A Verdi opera that tells of forbidden love and yearning dreams
Rytary
Maker: Impax Laboratories
Indication: Parkinson's disease
Sounds like: A workshop for aspiring novelists
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