Do you know what goes into the cough meds you’re taking?

MANILA, Philippines — They address everything from headaches to heart disease, hypertension, and cancer. Yet, how many of us give a second thought to what really goes into the over-the-counter and prescription drugs we take? All we know and trust is that by following our doctor’s orders, a pill, tablet, capsule, or suspension has the power to relieve us of pain and discomfort, manage disease, and even save lives.

In the case of Solmux Advance with Zinc, one of over 300 brands by Philippine pharmaceutical company Unilab, the medication has, for at least three decades, soothed the symptoms of the common cough through carbocisteine, a mucolytic that breaks down and thins phlegm, making it easier to expel.

In 2019, 5 mg of zinc was incorporated into Solmux’s capsule, while 10 mg (per 5 ml) and mint flavor were added to the cough medicine’s suspension formula. Essential for the healing of wounds, producing and storing insulin, and promoting the proper function of our thyroid and metabolism, the nutrient is mostly recognized for strengthening our immune system.

“Notice how a lot of products today contain zinc. Even toothpaste has zinc,” quips Dr. Maria Ronila Santos, pulmonologist and director for medical affairs, medical product research, Unilab. “Based on research, zinc levels are low during an infection. As the most important function of zinc is in the immune response, having low levels of zinc means that in the event of infection, it’s likely that recovery from the illness will be slow.”

Though relatively new, Solmux Advance with Zinc — the first in the world to combine these two key ingredients—proved its efficacy in the most critical of times. “During the pandemic, studies showed that carbocisteine helped in the resolution of symptoms of COVID-19,” says Dr. Santos. “Zinc has a direct antiviral effect that prevents a virus from attaching itself to the respiratory tract. It also has an anti-inflammatory effect, and it boosts the immune system.”

The meticulous and exacting process by which Solmux Advance with Zinc and other Unilab medicines are made also ensures consumers that they get their money’s worth in every purchase of the brand’s high-quality, efficacious, and affordable pharmaceutical and healthcare products.

Tucked within the sprawling Unilab Pharma Campus in Biñan, Laguna, the massive Amherst Laboratories, Inc. has the system down pat. Combining the utmost innovations, safety measures, and expertise of both man and machine in the manufacturing of its solid and liquid drugs, the facility is recognized by the Food and Drug Administration with a Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) certification.

“Starting at R&D, we confer with our Medical Affairs and develop products that have medical significance,” says Unilab senior manager for Research and Development Titus G. Cheng. “Then when we formulate, we need to do strict testing on chemical, physical and microbiological properties, using ingredients that we know are safe. We also check the stability at different temperatures, dissolution (or how a product dissolves), and its absorption, safety from microbes, and whether it produces impurities during storage. These are all done to check whether a product will remain stable and effective during its recommended shelf life.”

That’s something to think about the next time you take a pill or spoonful of suspension to ease symptoms of whatever ails you at the moment. Behind every dose is a formulation based on long-term research from a team of experts who want nothing more than to make you feel better and restore you back to optimum health.