Swedish Firm Medcoat Spreads Its Flavor Coating For Drugs, Supplements Into US

Swedish firm Medcoat AB expects to find in the US the same level of demand it has in other markets for flavor-coating wraps consumers can use to improve the taste of drug and nutritional supplement tablets and capsules they use.

Beutlich Pharmaceuticals LLC is marketing Medcoat’s namesake brand product in the US. It’s sold separately from drugs and supplements and is available in citrus, strawberry and cola flavors.

Bunnell, FL-based Beutlich’s Medcoat sales executive, Jennifer DiLascia, told HBW Insight that the retail price of $7.99 for 10 wraps, providing applications for up to 20 tablets or capsules, isn’t discouraging consumers even though packages of supplements or OTC drugs typically contain at least 30 doses.

medocat is available in citrus, strawberry and cola flavors, above, and packaged with a diagram, below, for wrapping around pills and capsules. Source: Medcoat

“Medcoat has the been a game changer for those in need of finding a way to take their large, hard to swallow, bitter tasting pills,” said DiLascia, Beulich’s trade show coordinator and inside sales representative.

“Interestingly enough, I have not had a Medcoat customer object to the pricing,” she added in an email response to questions.

The wraps are available on Amazon and Figure8moms' website and in independent pharmacies across the US. Medcoat already was available in Nordic countries, Germany and Canada before reaching the US.

Medcoat, through Beulich, currently doesn’t intend to provide its technology to other drug manufacturers for marketing with their brands. The wraps have been registered with the Food and Drug Administration for sale in the US since 2019 as a food product.

DiLascia acknowledged similar flavoring products on the market, such as Phazix Pill Swallowing Gel from Arkray USA Inc. and Pill Glide from FlavoRx Inc. "Each product is uniquely different and offers its own benefits,” she said.

Difficulties Among All Ages

DiLascia said the consumer demographics most commonly associated with preferring or needed flavor coatings to help swallow pills and capsules – the elderly and children – were Medcoat’s target market.

Source: Medcoat

“Originally we thought those would be the primary demographics for Medcoat. Honestly, the age demographic has been widespread and has been a benefit to those living with many different medical conditions,” she said.

She noted Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, attention-deficit-hyperactive disorder, epilepsy and celiac disease “to name just a few” as conditions which may make swallowing pills and capsules difficult.

“We have customers who use Medcoat during chemotherapy or radiation treatments due to mouth/throat irritation. Expectant moms who are having difficulty taking their prenatal vitamins have found Medcoat to be a huge help.”

Ease of product ingestion has been a selling point for OTC drugs in recent years as consumer options have increased, and more flavors can give businesses an advantage in the consumer health care market. Children are a specific demographic of interest in this market, studies reporting difficulty in getting their children to take their medication. (Also see "Innovations In Taste, Convenience Drive Consumer Health Market Growth" - HBW Insight, 11 Mar, 2015.)

Innovations in product ingestion are beneficial to OTC drug producers as well as consumers. Patients who have difficulty swallowing pills will try to ingest medication in different ways, such as crushing or breaking pills, which can decrease the efficacy of the dose. Medcoat claims that its coating dissolves quickly after swallowing and does not hinder the delivery of the medication.

Oral ingestion is the most simple and well-researched vehicle for drug delivery, and pills are easy to manufacture and cost effective. In a study commissioned by Hermes Pharma in 2014, of 2,000 consumers the US and Germany, 55% of people reported difficulties when swallowing pills, regardless of age or gender. When considering taking a medication, 60% reported that a pleasant flavor or odor is the most important characteristic. (Also see "User-Friendly OTC Dosage Forms Deliver Opportunity For Industry" - HBW Insight, 15 Sep, 2016.)

In a study published in Acta Paediatr in 2015, researchers analyzed drug palatability in children 2 to 17 years old given two types of pills—one uncoated and one coated with Medcoat and asked to rate the drug’s palatability and ease of swallowing. Pediatric healthcare researchers in Stockholm reported that swallowing improved for 86% of children.