LOS ANGELES: Isis Pharmaceuticals is changing its name to avoid any unwanted association with the

Islamic State extremist group, the California company said on Friday. It will now be called Ionis Pharmaceuticals, setting it clearly apart from the jihadists, whose acronyms include ISIS, IS and ISIL. Wade Walke, spokesman for the company, said the name became ‘a big problem’ after the Paris attacks last month, which were claimed by the IS extremist group. Ionis Pharmaceuticals is known especially for its drugs for rare diseases.