FLAVORx is a medication flavoring service that aims to improve pediatric medication compliance by offering customers choices in the flavors of liquid medications, which studies have shown increases medication taking by children by up to 90% compared to 50% without flavor choices. Pharmacies can implement the FLAVORx service by discussing flavor options with customers, following recipes to add flavors to medications, and charging $2.99 per customization, which can help create positive customer experiences and grow their business.

1. FLAVORx®
Improving the Customer Experience
in Your Pharmacy by Offering Taste
Options for Liquid Medications

2. FLAVORx Introduction
FLAVORx is a medication compliance-boosting service designed to improve the
experience of taking liquid medications by offering customers a choice of how
their medicine will taste.
By providing pharmacies with customized instructions for flavoring thousands of
medications, and powerful tools to get the job done , FLAVORx has made the
process of improving the taste of medicine quick and easy.
The quest to improve how medicine tastes is nothing new. In fact, the very first
pharmacists, thousands of years ago, did everything they could to hide the taste
of the bitter compounds they were working with. Using modern day science and
technology, FLAVORx has perfected the art of medication taste improvement.
And since taste and flavor preferences vary from one person to the next, the
power of choice is as important, if not more so, than the taste of the medicine
itself.

3. The Importance of Choice & Taste
Why is choice of taste with FLAVORx so important?
• Better pediatric compliance – By offering a variety of flavors to customize
and improve the taste of medicine, kids are shown to have up to 90%
compliance, compared to just 50% when taste selection does not occur.
• A positive pharmacy experience – Not only does the experience of taking
medicine get better for both children and parents with FLAVORx, but the
customers perception of your pharmacy is a very positive one. FLAVORx is a
solution to an age-old problem – kids do not like taking medicine. As the
problem-solver, you are a hero to mom and dad. They will be your biggest
fans and will come back to your pharmacy for all their health-related needs.
• Business growth – Improving the taste of medicine is a valuable service. As
such, you should have no reservations about being compensated for
providing it. Most pharmacies charge $2.99 for taste customization. By
informing your local pediatricians about the wide choice of flavors
available, you can also grow your pediatric prescription volume with
FLAVORx.

4. Opportunities for Choice & Taste Improvement
What types of medications can benefit from choice and taste improvement with
FLAVORx?
• All prescription liquids -
antibiotics, antivirals, allergy/asthma, etc., regardless of how they are
already flavored by the manufacturer. If the prescription has an mL quantity
in it, it can be flavored.
• All OTC liquids – cough/cold, analgesics, allergy, antacid, etc.
Based on data from the over 47,000,000 times FLAVORx has been used in
pharmacy, here are several medications that are excellent candidates for
taste improvement and the flavor choices that are highly recommended:
• Amoxicillin – Grape, Bubblegum, Raspberry, Apple, Watermelon
• Amox Tr-K Clav – Strawberry, Bubblegum, Grape, Raspberry, Apple
• Azithromycin – Grape, Bubblegum, Raspberry, Apple, Strawberry
• Cefdinir – Raspberry, Grape, Apple, Sour Apple, Grape Bubblegum
• Cleocin – Watermelon, Grape, Lemon, Apple, Grapeade
• Prednisolone – Grape, Bubblegum, Apple, Rasberry, Grape Bubblegum
• Tamiflu – Cherry, Bubblegum, Orange, Sour Apple, Raspberry

5. Consulting Patients About Choice and
Taste Improvement – 3 Easy Steps
1. Identify the opportunities
Any oral suspension, reconstitution or liquid medication is an opportunity to consult with the
parent about choosing a custom flavor of their child’s medicine.
2. Recommend flavoring to mom or dad
The most effective way to promote flavor choice and taste improvement is by saying:
“You can choose the taste of your child’s medication. It only costs a few dollars and will
really improve your child’s acceptance of the medication. What flavor would your child
like?”
Don’t just say “Do you want this flavored?” That won’t cut it.
It’s very important that the parents feels you believe in taste choice as a way to help their child take
medicine. They trust you!
3. Recommend a flavor
Using the Wheel of Yuck or Favorable Flavors guide, you should consult the customer on which
flavors and tastes are recommended for their child’s medication.

6. Using FLAVORx
Step 1. Once a customer has selected a custom flavor, attach the menu pad
to the prescription so the person filling the script knows that
flavoring must be added.
Step 2. Use the online formulary or Smart Formulary to find the recipe for
the medication you are dispensing. If you’re using the Fillmaster
Plus, the flavoring instructions are integrated into the machine itself.
Step 3. Following the recipe, draw up the appropriate amount of flavoring
ingredient, using the graduated oral syringes, and dispense into the
liquid medicine.
Step 4. Shake well and apply any necessary auxiliary labels to the bottle.
Step 5. At checkout, scan the barcode for flavoring to ring up the $2.99
charge and to register a flavoring sale in your system.

7. Success with FLAVORx
Set a Flavoring Goal
2 per Day – 1 in the morning, 1 in the afternoon – is a realistic expectation
Let the Technicians Run With It
Pharmacy technicians are pivotal to success with FLAVORx. The technician has the face-to-face interaction
with the customer and should start the conversation about choice of flavor and taste improvement.
Make ‘Choice’ a Habit
The ultimate goal is for ‘flavor choice’ to be offered to every customer with a liquid prescription. Get into
the habit of doing this and it will become second nature in no time. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how
many parents say ‘Yes’ to the option of selecting how their child’s medicine will taste.
Have Fun!
With FLAVORx, you’re giving kids the choice of how they want their medicine to taste which puts a smile
on their face. Mom’s, especially, love the service too. There aren’t a lot of things in pharmacy that can
really light up a customers face. Choosing how the medicine will taste is one of them. Behind the
counter, contests and incentives are a great way to keep the pharmacy team engaged to promote the
service to your customers.

8. Summary
• Giving parents the ability to choose the taste of their child’s
medication creates a positive customer service experience in your
pharmacy.
• Use of FLAVORx has been shown to greatly improve pediatric
medication compliance.
• To really make any impact with the flavoring service, you must talk
with your customers about taste options for liquid medications.
• Set a flavoring goal for your pharmacy (2 a day), put the technicians
in charge of reaching that goal, make a habit of offering the service
and have fun with it.

9. FLAVORx FAQ
Q. Aren’t most liquid medications already flavored? Why add more?
A. Yes. In fact all liquid medications have a flavor. But we’re a choice driven society and studies
indicate that people are more likely to buy-in to something when they can customize it to their
liking. That’s one of the reasons FLAVORx is so effective at driving better medication compliance.
Kids and parents can choose the taste of their medicine!
Q. A lot of my customers don’t drop-off their prescriptions. They’re called in or sent electronically.
How do I promote taste customization now?
A. Pick-up is a great opportunity to speak with your customers about taste customization. Especially
for antibiotics, since they’re reconstituted only after customers show up to get them.
Q. My customers won’t pay their co-pay. Why should I expect them to pay for flavoring?
A. Some of the best performing FLAVORx pharmacies are in high Medicaid areas. These pharmacists
and technicians have made a conscious effort to offer flavor choice to everyone, regardless of
socioeconomic status. The fact is, parents on medical assistance will pay for the flavoring service.
Q. With so much going on behind the counter, where am I going to find the time to flavor
medications?
A. Flavoring takes a little extra time, it’s true. But once you get the hang of it, you can flavor a
prescription in two minutes or less. The key is to make taste customization a habit in your
pharmacy. Besides, the extra effort put into flavoring a medication is more than made up for by
the positive experience your customer has in your pharmacy. And with the new Fillmaster Plus
technology, reconstitution and flavoring time is reduced to 45 seconds or less.