Columbia, MD – As families across the country are confronted with a significant outbreak of the flu virus, FLAVORx, the Maryland-based biotech company, is doing its part to help ease the burden.
In particular, the company has developed personalized taste options for liquid Tamiflu, the #1 prescribed medication to ease the symptoms and duration of the flu. This includes both commercially prepared Tamiflu and the compounded version, which is commonly used due to shortages of Tamiflu liquid.
“Medicine-time is a common struggle for parents, regardless of the medication they’re trying to give to their children,” said Dr. Ursula Chizhik, FLAVORx Director of Pharmacy Programs, “FLAVORx helps by improving the palatability of medications and giving children a choice in the matter. With Tamiflu, which is known to have a bitter taste, letting a child choose a favorite flavor for his or her medicine transforms what normally is a stressful endeavor for the whole family into a far more pleasant, and successful, wellness experience.”
FLAVORx is available in nearly 45,000 pharmacies across the United States. When a parent goes to the pharmacy to drop-off or pick-up a child’s liquid prescription, they simply request to have their child’s favorite flavor added to the medication. The pharmacist will customize the taste of the medication behind the counter. The pharmacist can also suggest recommended flavors, which are based on FLAVORx’s 20 years of experience in personalizing the taste of medications.
Pediatricians are also encouraged to recommend the custom-flavoring option to patients to ensure the most positive outcomes possible. While typical pediatric medication adherence rates, a measure of how well people follow their medication regimen, hover around 50% to 60%, multiple studies indicate this number jumps to over 90% when medications are custom-flavored at the pharmacy.
Traditionally a flu shot is the first and best line of defense; however this year’s flu vaccine, according to the CDC, has proven to be only 55% effective. Consequently properly taking a prescription antiviral medication, like Tamiflu, once a child has contracted the flu virus, can help lessen the severity and duration of the infection. Custom-flavoring for liquid prescriptions, a service widely available in pharmacies across the country, is one proven way to help children take their medicine so they can get better faster.
FLAVORx, a Maryland-based biotech company, has been helping children take their medicine since 1994. The FLAVORx Pediatric System is available in nearly 45,000 chain and independent pharmacies. Using FLAVORx's copyrighted flavoring recipes, pharmacists have safely flavored more than 65 million prescriptions and over-the-counter medications, reducing stress levels for parents and giving children some control over their own wellness. The company's mission is to improve lives and health-related outcomes through higher medication adherence.