Perhaps following Mary Poppins' sage advice about “a spoonful of sugar,” McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals, Fort Washington, PA, has introduced its Children's Tylenol® acetaminophen fever reducer/pain reliever in a new Flavor Creator kit that “allows children to choose a flavor based on their individual preference,” relates company spokesperson Bill Pearse. “It's no secret that administering medicine to a sick child can be an overwhelming and frustrating task,” he says. “The flavor packets were developed to simplify the medicating experience.”

Launched in May, the kit comprises a 4-oz bottle of Children's Tylenol Cherry Blast Liquid Suspension packed in a carton along with a film bag containing 20 0.01-oz, mini stick-packs of sugar-free flavor crystals in Bubblegum (eight packets), Chocolate (four), Apple (four) and Strawberry (four) varieties. Pearse says that Cherry Burst was chosen as the base flavor, as it most universally complements the taste of the flavor crystals. “The typical response is Cherry Blast upfront, with a subsequent rush of the flavor choice from the crystals,” he explains. Crystals are made with Splenda® brand sweetener, also from McNeil, along with a number of inactive ingedients.

Conveying a bit of Poppins' magic as well, the outer carton's graphics include a swirl of twinkling stars surrounding an illustration of green Apple flavor crystals being added to the red-cherry liquid medicine.

Children's Tylenol with Flavor Creator has a suggested retail price of $8.99, which, Pears says, results in a “modest premium” of 25 cents/dose for the crystals.