How FLAVORx and Icing Smiles Are Partnering to Spread Smiles

Icing Smiles’ newest sponsor, FLAVORx is committed to putting smiles on sick children’s faces. 

It can be a frustrating experience when your sick child refuses to take medicine. But can you really blame them? Many medicines don’t taste good. The active ingredients are often bitter or even unbearably salty, and the medicine’s odor can be tough to swallow.  

Mary Poppins may have resorted to a spoonful of sugar, but parents have another option. 

The next time you go to your pharmacy, ask the pharmacist if they offer FLAVORx. Available at over 46,000 pharmacies around the United States, FLAVORx allows kids to choose the way their medicine tastes.  

With the press of a button, pharmacists are able to transform yucky-tasting medicine into one of 16 custom flavors from Awesome Apple to Wacky Watermelon. Since the company’s founding in 1995, over 180 million medications have been safely and effectively flavored to improve palatability and help children take their medicine.  

“We put smiles on kids’ faces when they’re dealing with a rough time,” says Chad Baker, senior vice president of marketing at FLAVORx. “As soon as we heard the Icing Smiles story, the light bulbs went off.” 

Here’s a look at FLAVORx and the lives they impact and how the company is partnering with Icing Smiles to bring a little joy to sick kids’ lives.  

A Little Flavor Goes a Long Way

Corey’s daughter Heidi was recently diagnosed with RSV and was prescribed three medications. When he went to fill them at the pharmacy, the pharmacist told him about FLAVORx.  

“We had all three prescriptions flavored, two with the bubblegum because that is Heidi’s favorite and one in mango because the pharmacist recommended it,” he says. “Talk about a game changer! Our daughter reminds us about medicine time and loves the flavor additions.” 

To help kiddos and their families choose the best flavor combos, FLAVORx launched an online tool called FlavorBot. FlavorBot recommends the four best flavors options for hundreds of medications.  

Casey was struggling to get her 4-year-old son to take his daily medicine. He’s nonverbal and doesn’t understand why he has to take the medication. “He would spit them out, have meltdowns, and we could never tell how much medicine we were getting into him due to his reluctance,” Casey says.  

Then she saw a sign for FLAVORx at her local pharmacy. “I used FlavorBot to see what flavors work best with his allergy medicine, and we went with bubblegum to see how it went over. Now, my son takes his medicine happily. We’ve even seen him pick the syringe back up, once emptied, trying to get more bubblegum flavor. This has saved us so much strife and hardship, and it’s saved him from becoming so upset and feeling forced to take a medication.” 

Sarah Grace, a pharmacy tech, says FLAVORx goes a long way in making a stressful situation more enjoyable. “I love encouraging parents who struggle to get their little ones to take medicine to let me flavor it for them,” she says. “Adding a sweet or favorite smell and taste is a small thing to do to ensure a child takes their medicine. Long term, it will help the child associate taking medicine with a positive experience instead of a traumatic one. No one wants to fight their toddler or young child, especially when they are sick, and adding a flavor is so easy.” 

The Power of Giving Kids Choice

It’s not just the flavor that helps make medicine time easier.  

“Kids love choice, having some control,” Chad says. “Having that kid take ownership — ‘This is your medicine. How do you want it to taste? Bubblegum, strawberry, mango. You can choose.’ —  that is almost as powerful as changing the flavor.” 

Cindy, a pharmacy tech, tells a story of a mom who came into her pharmacy with a sick kiddo: “Mom was worried that she was going to have trouble getting her son to take the medicine because he didn’t like trying new things. I offered the boy a flavor list and suggested that he pick out his favorite personal ‘recipe.’ The boy loved that he was a part of this process and was excited to try his medicine. Needless to say, Mom walked away very pleased, and the boy left with a smile.”  

The Perfect Pairing

In 2022, FLAVORx signed on to be one of Icing Smiles’ sponsors. 

“Icing Smiles’ mission really hit home for us,” says Chief Executive Officer Stu Amos. “Like FLAVORx, they are committed to putting smiles on sick children’s faces, and I am delighted we have the opportunity to work together.”   

In addition to monetary support to help Icing Smiles serve more families, FLAVORx’s nationwide network of field service technicians will educate pharmacy staff on the Icing Smiles mission and provide them with resources to share with families of critically ill children.   

Icing Smiles founder and Executive Director Tracy Quisenberry loves our new partnership with FLAVORx. “We are so excited about this partnership,” she says. “It is our first outside of the food industry, and it is a perfect match. Our missions are the same: to help make childhood illness a little bit easier. We can’t wait to see what we can accomplish together.” 

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