FLAVORx debuts Pill Glide at NACDS Pharmacy & Technology Conference

BOSTON For as long as medicines have come in pill form, many parents have struggled to find ways to get their reluctant kids to take them, but it’s a problem that affects adults, too, according to some polls.

At the National Association of Chain Drug Stores’ Pharmacy & Technology Conference Saturday, Columbia, Md.-based FLAVORx unveiled Pill Glide, a patent-pending flavored spray designed to ease the process of taking tablets and capsules by lubricating the inside of the mouth. The spray, which is classified as a food rather than a drug, is aimed mostly at children and the elderly, as well as patients with chronic illnesses who must take multiple medications.

"It helps overcome the physical and psychological barriers to swallowing," FLAVORx CEO Stuart Amos told Drug Store News, adding that the company had sold 50 cases to "medium and large" retail pharmacy chains in the first three hours of the conference.

A 2004 Harris Interactive poll found that 40% of American adults had difficulty swallowing pills. Of those, 14% said they had delayed doses and 8% had skipped them altogether because they couldn't swallow pills properly.

"The idea of Pill Glide is, it should help overcome the reluctance to swallow by easing the passage of pills and capsules," Amos said.