The country’s leading pharmaceutical company United Laboratories, Inc. (UNILAB) has recently obtained the approval of its TasteRite™ patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Unilab president and chief executive officer Carlos Ejercito announced.
Ejercito said that TasteRite™ technology is a result of extensive research by PediaTech™, UNILAB’s research and development (R&D) arm dedicated to developing innovative solutions in childcare.
"This breakthrough technology demonstrates Filipino scientists’ ingenuity in research and development relative to the world’s best,” Ejercito remarked.
Kennie Dee, Unilab’s senior vice president for R&D, explained that TasteRite™ is a taste-masking system that significantly reduces the inherent bitter taste of some medicines so that children taste the flavor and not the medicine.
“A 2003 survey shows that seventy-seven percent of Filipino mothers agree that the unpleasant taste of some medicines is a major reason for poor compliance among children,” Dee said. “This breakthrough will thus change children’s attitude towards medicine and ensure better compliance.”
The TasteRite™ technology was first used in Biogesic for Kids in 2003. Today, the Taste Rite™ technology is used in well-known brands such as Naprex and Dolan FP/FP Forte for fever and pain, Allerta Syrup for allergy, Expel and Asmalin Broncho Syrup for cough.
Mr. Ejercito also announced that Unilab is also awaiting the patent approval in the US and Southeast Asian countries of SureDose™, another technology developed by PediaTech™, which addresses the problem of inconsistent dosing in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB).
“Under-dosing is a serious problem that can cause treatment failure due to acquired drug resistance. In some cases, the period of drug therapy is prolonged,” he pointed out.
Dee elaborated that SureDose™ is a ‘single-shake’ suspension technology that ensures that the child receives an accurate dosage of the drug spoon-for-spoon. “It is now used in UNILAB’s Rimaped (rifampicin) suspension, which is now the most prescribed pediatric rifampicin for childhood TB in the Philippines,” he noted.
“In contrast to traditional suspensions, there is no settling, no packing, and no caking of drug particles on storage. Also, the bottle needs to be shaken only before the first dose. There is no need to shake again for up to 60 days. And because the medicine is homogeneous, the patient is therefore assured of the correct drug dose spoon-for-spoon,” Dee explained.
Both TasteRite™ and SureDose™ affirm UNILAB’s capability in producing breakthrough technologies that address the healthcare needs of millions of Filipinos, including children. |
