Pharmacy sign as seen from crosshair.

It is a difficult time to be named ISIS — as ISIS Pharmaceuticals likely knows. The company announced Friday that they will be changing their name to Ionis Pharmaceuticals and introducing a new ticker symbol, "IONS," to replace "ISIS." The changes will become effective December 22.

CNBC notes that while Ionis didn't mention the Islamic State in its announcement, the company did say it decided to make the change because "when people see or hear our name, we want them to think about the life-saving medicines we are developing."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.