The trend: Neurologists don’t recall specific brand names of drugs. They think of medication in broader terms, like the type of conditions they treat (e.g., autoimmune disease drugs), or which class of drug category they belong to (e.g., anticonvulsants), according to a July 2025 survey of 57 US neurologists.

Digging into the data: Because the market for neurological drugs is so fragmented, with over 120 different medications, most clinicians have trouble remembering them all.

Neurologists were asked an open-ended question to recall the top three drugs that first came to mind, without any prompts.

• No single drug brand could be recalled by more than 5% of neurologists.
• Pfizer’s/Biohaven’s Nurtec, used to treat migraines, and Argenx's Vyvgart, used to treat an autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness, are a few drug brands that at least 5% of neurologists could recall by name.
• The vast majority of products are known by just 1% to 4% of neurologists.

Factors that help improve the chances neurologists can recall a drug by its brand include whether the drug:

• Has proven efficacy (45%)
• Is frequently prescribed by other doctors and used by patients (41%)
• Is proven to be safe (21%)
• Has an easy name to remember (19%)

The drugs that neurologists recalled were bucketed into a less fragmented collection of drug classes and clinical indications.

• 24% of the drugs belonged to the monoclonal antibody drug class, for instance. Monoclonal antibodies are broadly used for a range of conditions, including autoimmune diseases.
• 17% of the drugs were anticonvulsants, which treat epilepsy and other causes of seizures.
• For indications, 17% of the recalled drugs treat multiple sclerosis. Another 17% are for epilepsy/seizure disorders (17%), and 16% are used to treat migraines (17%).

The big takeaway: Marketing that leads with the product’s name works well for some drug categories. That’s the case for blockbuster cancer drugs such as Merck’s Keytruda and Bristol Myers Squibb’s Opdivo—both of which have strong unaided recall rates with oncologists, per previous ZoomRx research.

Neurology is a broad category that treats a diverse range of conditions, however. Most HCP marketing strategies in this space should detail how their product tops others in the same drug category or for a particular indication (e.g., “a leading anti-seizure drug), supplemented with peer-reviewed efficacy and safety data, as well as physician prescribing patterns and patient testimonials.

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